Familiar of Zero: Zero's Grace
by CroweAndAria
Summary: She died tragically, with pieces of regrets left behind. She wasn't able to help the person she truly wished to aid, and this burned her until her very death. She lives in shame, constantly faced with failure, a zero. She seeks for retribution, for aid in the form of her familiar. It seemed like the goddesses had something up in their sleeve. No pairings yet!
1. Familiar Arc Prologue - Fate Binding

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **So... Yeah, LoZ: BoTW meets FoZ. I'm actually surprised how similar the two are in terms of acronyms actually. Anyways, Crowe and Aria speaking here!**

 **The two of us recently played Legend of Zelda: BoTW, and finished it just a few weeks ago. While we were definitely late with the party, we both just can't get over Mipha. She just had a tragic end, that we just wanted to bring justice for her. So, we decided of instead resurrecting her in an original LoZ:BoTW fanfic, we're just going to bring her to a completely new dimension!**

 **And what better place would that be than the Familiar of Zero universe!**

 **We'll continue talking about this downstairs~ See you in a bit!**

* * *

 **Mipha**

Darkness flooded the room, the sun's rays clouded by the black clouds tinted with red lights. A soft breeze whistled through the open gaps, brushing past the pale soft face of a red Zora. Her features glistened slightly from what little light that managed to penetrate through. Fatigue was evident on her shoulders, her arms slumped ever so slightly, and her grip on her trident loosened. An uncharacteristic snarl was present on her lips, her sharp shark-like teeth showing her frustration. She could barely stand on her own anymore- a dilemma she loathed to admit that affected her swimming. Any proud Zora would never admit such weakness, but, for once in her life, she wanted to shout the unfairness.

She eyed the monstrous being before her, too hideous to even describe. It was a bastardized shape of what could possibly be a Hylian, its components composed of various Sheikah Technology. A red mane flowed down what seemed to be its head, complete with its protruding axe shaped horns bent on its sides. An ominous shade of violet gleamed in the core of its head, a colour shared with the linings of its body. It looked more of an amalgamation rather than a well-constructed machine-

Though, it was doing a great job beating her into near submission.

 _I… No, I could not die, not yet… I have… promised to him that after this… I won't lose…!_

The irony is not lost to her. For a creature born and raised from the depths of the waters, she had a burning will comparable to even the hottest day at Death Mountain- a passion that did not escape the notice of Princess Zelda, and the Champions. Perhaps, maybe it even attracted too much of an attention from a certain Rito, but, in all fairness, that wasn't what the Zora Princess cared for.

She only cared for doing what's right. She cared for others to a fault, perhaps even more than the other champions. It was one of the reasons why she managed to bond with Vah Ruta first. Her compassion convinced the gentle Divine Beast, and they managed to broker some sort of friendship between them; though, said friendship was currently being contested by the vile monster before her. The being sent before her by Ganon usurped her control over the Divine Beast, sending it into a slight frenzy. The Zora tried her best to contain the frenzy, which resulted into more of her endurance being sapped by the sheer pressure of contesting for Vah Ruta's control.

 _Please… Vah Ruta, listen to me…_

A deep howl echoed throughout the open cavern of the Vah Ruta's spacious insides, one filled with frustration and confusion. It hurt her to hear Vah Ruta in such a state, the normally gentle and calm Divine Beast now reduced into such a state. Hearing this only strengthened her resolve to destroy the being before her… Even though, she knew it, she would soon lose.

Using her trident, she pulled herself up; her small webbed feet stumbled slightly from the weight of her body, despite its lightness compared to other Zora. She was breathing harshly, and her vision doubled. The _vile_ beast before her seemed to mock her, its hand already poised to throw the spear at her as frozen blocks seemed to appear in mid-air.

Perhaps for the second time in her life, fear crept into her heart. Her eyes widened in realization that she would die if she made one small misstep, and she knew she could not afford it.

 _Is this it for me? No, I don't wish to die… I…_

She needed to see him again. She wouldn't give up.

 _I won't… give in like this…_

And perhaps, for the second time in her life, tears spilled down her eyes. The first tears were spilled when she saw the state her beloved was in after facing off the Lynel on the Ploymus Mountain. While he managed to drive the Lynel away, he was still in critical condition. She managed to treat his wounds, but they left scars.

It was at that moment when Mipha grew the courage to become brave- to become as strong as him.

An uncharacteristic war cry erupted from her, as she'd worked herself to heal her injuries. While tiring her further, she needed whatever advantage she could get.

"Prepare yourself, _foul_ being sent by Ganon," she cried out, twirling her trident, and posing herself to jump. The being had the _audacity_ to laugh, as the ice blocks hurled at her. She jumped from her spot, wincing slightly in pain as her feet landed on the ice's surface. She jumped from her current ice block to the next, slipping slightly on the cube. Before she could truly slip off, she stabbed the trident, and flung herself forward. Though, her momentum from jumping from the previous block was gone, so all she could do was land on the ice block and "surf" on it. The monster threw its spear at her, and she had to jump off, landing on the water. She watched back as the odd spear pierced through the ice block, shards of it flying everywhere. She narrowly dodged one of the shards, but it managed to pierce through her abdomen.

Mipha yelped from pain at that. Blunt damage was one thing. Her scales are also very durable, capable to withstand sharp objects, so once a sharp object pierced through, it _hurt_. Her moment of weakness was taken advantage of immediately by the scourge, another spear already formed on its hands.

Her eyes widened, as she'd narrowly dodged the spear thrown at her again. She landed right on the water, and tried to use it to her advantage. Unfortunately, her enemy didn't like that. As she swam as fast as she could, ice trailed in her wake- freezing the waters. Blood trailed behind her- she realized she was losing blood.

She tried to summon her healing abilities, but it seemed to fail on her. Her mind, now tired from everything, refused to supply the "commands" to connect to her magical supply.

"Waterblight Ganon…." She mumbled as she'd swim frantically to avoid the ice blocks and projectiles being thrown at her. She emerged from the waters again, landing on one of the four platforms, turning her attention at Waterblight Ganon. She eyed her opponent warily, seeing that it was growing even stronger as seconds pass. Glancing at what seemed to be its core, she glanced back at her trident…

Her eyes widened slightly at the idea that popped in her head. During her battle with the monster before her, she'd managed to look through a window, and saw Link shoot an arrow straight into the eye of one of the Guardians. Said Guardian seemed to stumble slightly, its odd red line seemingly to have disappeared as its limbs buckled.

 _I only have one chance… No… This is my last chance…_

Mipha steeled herself. It was worth the _shot_.

…

…

…

Perhaps, Urbosa was rubbing into her. A soft smile found its way on her lips, as more tears streaked down from her eyes. She could feel her life force fading, as more blood gushed out of her wound. Swimming in the water and exerting herself didn't help either.

It was a surprise to her that she was still breathing, and even moving right now.

The scourge seemed to create more ice blocks, and hurled them at her. Posing herself to jump again, she did- this time, using the tip of her trident to stab into the ice block and hurl her forwards. She twisted into the air, adding more to the momentum on her trident, now gripped to be thrown. As soon as she completed her spin, she threw the trident. She shouted, more out of desperation.

"Hit!" She screamed on the top of her lungs, as everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. She saw the Scourge of Vah Ruta visibly panic as it tried to move its arms to protect its "eye". However, it was simply too late. She watched in halted breath, as her trident _barely_ slipped through its arms, and struck true on its intended target.

Needless to say, the trident remained stuck there as the Scourge let out a distorted roar, one that the Zora Princess didn't even think it was capable to do. It frantically moved, swinging its spear in random directions, as it tried to pull the trident out of its eye.

Mipha landed on the water. She was panting, and she knew her endurance was starting to leave her. She needed to end this- fast. She swam forwards, drawing on her last bits of strength. She looked more of one of those odd projectiles shot by the Guardians, her speed near comparable. As she arrived by the Waterblight Ganon's position, she abruptly jumped upwards. Water spilled around her, adorning her in fascinating beauty. Her hand managed to grab the hilt of her trident, and she _pulled._ The scourge seemed to cry out as she'd pulled the trident out.

A flash of memory passed by her. It was a memory of a certain Hylian in blue clothes, swinging his master sword in a whole arc to drive the Lynel away.

With one seemingly final shout, she replicated Link's move. She swung her trident in a complete arc, its momentum sending the Waterblight Ganon off balance, causing it to roar. The ends of the trident struck true, damaging its eye even further. The scourge suddenly burst into several dark pieces, letting out one final terrifying roar. A soft sigh escaped the princess, as she fell on the water unceremoniously.

Her limbs were no longer moving. Her breathing, shortening into mere gasps, as her mind was flooded by memories. Of her father, of her dear Sidon, of her fellow champions, of Princess Zelda… And of Link.

A clear image of his smiling face was imprinted on her mind. The last cheerful smile she had ever seen from him, as it overlapped its image of another image of him smiling, now subdued compared to before.

… _Have I reached you now… Link?_

She asked that question in her heart, but she knew he wouldn't be able to answer. When she heard of Link being appointed as Zelda's knight, she knew she had no chance. She tried to confess her affections for the Hylian, even prepared the Zora Armor in order to propose to him, but the more she watched those two grow closer at each passing day… It dealt a huge blow in her heart. To watch them in each other's company every day, it grew jealousy in her. She could only spend more of her time with her fellow champions, only rarely with him. While the Rito Champion, Revali, have certainly kept her company, she just couldn't see with him eye to eye.

She frequently had dreams of him, her hand reaching out to him as he only grew more distant. It wouldn't take long until he was finally out of her reach, but…

Now, she was able to replicate one of his moves. A move that he's worked hard for, he's trained for. A bittersweet smile entered her lips.

… _Perhaps… Perhaps, I have reached you…_

But she knew that was truly not the case. It was very much like her ancestor, a Zora who fell in love with a Hylian, whose love was never reciprocated. She was right. She was doomed, from the very start. Her vision dimmed, as she could feel the pulse in her body slow down.

 _Dear Link… I am sorry… It seems like… we wouldn't be able to… spend some time together… after all…_

More tears streaked down her eyes, as she'd inhaled sharply.

 _Father… I am sorry._

Her eyelids began to close.

 _Sidon… I hope you grow well…_

She finally let go of her breath.

 _In the middle of the East Reservoir Lake, a lone machine stood there. Its magnificent plating reflected off the sunlight's afternoon rays, with clear skies visible from above. There was naught a cloud in sight, with only a few specks of white cotton decorating the sky. Two figures sat on the elephant's snout, one Zora, and the other Hylian. They were sat next to each other, some would say they were intimately close. The Zora held the Hylian's arms, one hand above his elbow. A warm green light enveloped the hand, its warmth spreading across the Hylian's skin. Mipha was smiling slightly, as Link stared at her handiwork silently, his eyes with various conflicting emotions, but his features subdued with seriousness._

" _I was… thinking…" Mipha spoke, her eyes filled with warmth; a smile crept to her lips as she began to recall one of her fondest memories. It was a memory of a younger Link, tripping all over the place as he caused trouble in the domain. It wasn't any trouble they couldn't handle, but it was more of a trouble that they somehow enjoyed. "This reminds me of the time we first met." The image of her coming to Link to treat his bruises was particularly strong._

" _You were just a reckless child… always getting yourself hurt at every turn," she said, fondness can be heard from her tone. Her soft voice seemed to echo, oddly. "Every time, I would heal you, just as I'm doing right now…" Her eyes seemed to stare at a distance, her tone suddenly feeling_ empty _. It was a tone that did not escape the Hylian, as Link stared up at Mipha, concern present in his eyes, but his lips still tightly sealed together._

 _Mipha didn't notice this, and only took his lack of reaction as a sign of her deeds being forgotten. Hurt pierced through her heart, like thorns gripping its host. She trekked on, however. She had steeled herself for this after all…_

" _I thought it was funny how, being a Hylian, you looked grown-up so much faster than I did… I was…" Mipha looked up, a painful yearning settled in her eyes, and her voice betrayed her momentarily. Her voice cracked as she spoke, as she gazed into the eyes of the Hylian, who stared impassively back at her. "I was always willing to heal your wounds. Even back then."_

 _She stared back down, to avoid a possible confrontation as she'd carelessly let her emotions slip. Instead, she focused on healing Link's arm, which had a visible gash that was slowly mending._

 _Please… say something… anything…_ _Mipha cried out in her heart. It remained silent, even after Mipha finished the deed. She looked away, trying to hide the pain in her eyes as Link studied his arm, fascinated with the fast recovery._

" _So… if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do? We just don't seem to know much about what we'll be up against…" Slight fear seemed to sip in her voice, but resolution took hold by the end. It was a promise she's made ever since she willingly took up the mantle as one of the champions. "But know this: that no matter how difficult this battle might get…" she said, looking down. She steeled up her resolve, and dared look at Link in the eyes._

 _It was a mistake._

 _His beautiful blue eyes stared into her soul. She felt like she was drowning in them, as his eyes held power- more than anyone she has ever seen, even more than her father's. However, they also held a darkness in them- a visible pain that no one else, but Mipha could see._

 _It hurt her. It hurt her that he wasn't opening up to her like he used to before. A bittersweet smile entered her lips._

" _If you- if anyone ever tries to do you harm… Then I will heal you," she managed to speak through, quickly looking away once she realized she stared too long. However, it was only a few mere seconds in reality. "No matter when, or how bad the wound… I hope you know that I will always protect you."_

 _This was the promise she made to herself. It gnawed her heart, it frustrated her how weak she was when Link protected her from the Lynel. It angered her, to see Link's normally cheerful visage gone, and she couldn't do anything about it._

 _This was the least she could do._

 _Even if it didn't seem like he would ever reciprocate her feelings._

 _She clasped her hands together, shaking from pain and nervousness. "Once this whole thing is over…" she said, forcing herself to finally speak the words she wanted to say. Words hidden in her heart, words that wanted to be released to the world. "Maybe things… can go back to how they used to be when we were young."_

 _The yearning in her voice_ hurt _her when she heard it, her throat constricting and drying out. She clasped her hands tighter, to stop herself from crying._

 _She wished Calamity Ganon never existed, she wished Hylian Royalty never existed, so they wouldn't bear down the pressure to Link like this._

 _She wanted to hear that laughter, to see that smile. She wanted to see that playful attitude, one once worn by the stoic Knight before her._

" _You know… Perhaps we could spend some time together," she finally croaked out, staring at Link with longing._

 _She just wanted her Link back._

A final streak of tear streamed down her white pale cheeks… And just like that, Mipha departed from the world of the living with a bitter sweet smile on her face.

* * *

 **Louise**

The breeze passed through the windows. It was gentle and inviting as it caressed the soft skin of a pink-haired maiden sleeping peacefully on top of her bed. She seemed to still be asleep, her small pink lips quivering slightly was the only marker that the wind managed to get out of her. A few minutes passed, until finally, her heavy eyelids drooped open.

She softly mumbled, one that signified that she just awoke. Her eyelids fluttered for a bit as she gathered her bearings, her soft dreams running away from her. Something about how she was able to summon a familiar that was the greatest out of all she could've ever summoned in her class. She slowly sat up, blinking her sleepiness away. She stretched her arms, before proceeding to do her daily rituals. Her usual brushing of hair, change of clothes, and preparing her school materials were more of a ritual to her. Once she picked up her wand, she winced a bit.

 _Zero_.

That's what she was. Her elemental affinity was incompatible with any other element. It didn't matter if she tried her hardest, since all of her spells always ended up in some weird explosion. Heck, even a supposedly water spell ended up in an explosion. How was that even possible, the pinkette didn't want to know. If anything, her failures of conjuring spells only served her to be the prime target of bullying in her school.

It was something she didn't like. The teachers, surely they tried to mitigate the bullying, but it never stopped. It was something she was mildly irritated about, but it wasn't like she couldn't blame the instructors. They can only do so much, and the rest was up to her. Fortunately, they weren't expelled yet… Though, the pinkette had a feeling that perhaps her mother had a word of why she hasn't been expelled.

Her mother, Karin of the Heavy Wind, was highly feared and revered in Tristain. If word came out that her daughter was a failure, it would ruin her reputation. Once that happens, her mother will bring down her wrath upon the academy that failed to "teach" her daughter.

To her teacher's credit, they never once gave up on her. They certainly continued encouraging her, but… once in a while, she would see some of the teachers staring at her with a frown.

It hurt her to see that, but she knew she had to be strong. She was Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, and nothing less should be shown from her. "Rule of Steel" was something that was drilled into Louise's mind by her mother, and it served her well for the past years. It helped her combat the bullying, but it certainly tired her at night, where she didn't need to keep up her mental fortitudes. It was at night when she contemplated on the events that transpired- some nights, she ended up crying out of frustration with her inability to use any element.

Still, that never stopped Louise from trying.

"Another day…" she sighs. After packing up her things, she headed straight to her next class. She couldn't afford being late after all- it was the last thing she could do for the teachers who never stopped teaching her despite everything. That brought a soft smile on her face, but also a very damaging blow to her pride. It hurt to never really give anything back to people you owe after all.

As usual though, classes were boring for the students. While the students were busy lounging around as Mrs. Chevreuse spoke, some were flirting. Louise was an exception, and perhaps the bluenette by the front, someone that Louise recognized as Tabitha. The pinkette was currently reading up on her book. What she couldn't cast, she could make it up by Spell Theory, and learning everything she could that may help her…. _unique_ predicament.

She idly noted Guiche answer the teacher's question, and continued to write down notes from both the lectures currently in class, and knowledge she had from the previous year. It wouldn't do to forget them after all.

"Let's have someone try the spell out… You," the teacher called out to her. For a while, Louise didn't notice since she was too busy writing down notes, and indulging herself with her memories perhaps too much. It took a few calls until she snapped back to reality, and raised her head up.

"What's your name?" the teacher asked.

"Louise," she answered, almost reflexively. She internally flinched, knowing that she just answered out of etiquette.

 _That wouldn't do…_

She stood up, correcting herself. She still had her pride after all. It was embarrassing when she did that.

"Louise de La Vallière."

"U-uhm, teacher…" a student called out. He looked nervous, and he was slightly on the bulky side. It wasn't someone Louise recognized. Well, she wasn't exactly well-liked, so none of the students ever bothered interacting with her… Perhaps only a certain few, though she could hardly call them as "social interactions".

"Yes?"

"Um, I suggest you don't pick her."

The rest of the conversation completely skipped Louise as she bristled slightly in anger. She knew she had zero affinity, she was perfectly aware of that, but that didn't gave them the chance to rob them of her chance to try. Who were they to command her to do?

"I'll do it! Please, let me do it!" she shouted, perhaps with more fire than she should've.

"Very well," the teacher said.

It was at this point that the students hurriedly went for cover, as Louise tuned them out from her mind. _Rule of Steel, Rule of Steel, Rule of Steel,_ she chanted in her head. She should carry herself, and not show that any of these people the satisfaction of her showing pain. As she went down, she idly noted the bluenette leave the classroom… That only served to irritate her even more.

 _I'll show her._

She raised her wand once she was in front of the three pebbles before her.

"Louise, stop it!" the redhead called out to her. The already bubbling anger inside her turned into silent fury, as she directed a glare at the redhead, who didn't react as much.

"Shut up, you're distracting me," she snapped. She turned her attention back at the stone.

"Imagine the metal you want to create in your mind, create a clear image of it."

Louise nodded in response, looking at the pebbles before her. She recalled the colour of the the pebbles turned precious stones earlier, and she decided to give that a try. Silently, she casted the spell…

As usual, it exploded in her face after it glowed slightly. To her credit though, Louise didn't react as much. She idly glanced around the room, noticing the tattered state of her dress, and the ruined state of the classroom. The anger she was feeling earlier was extinguished very quickly, and was replaced with shame, and resignation. She bit the insides of her lip to stop any of her emotions from leaking out.

 _Rule of steel, rule of steel…_

"That's why I told you not to do it!" a redhead shouted. Louise turned around, wiping her face from dust.

"Looks like I made a little mistake," Louise said, trying to save face.

"What?"

"How is this 'little'?"

"Your percentage of success is zero!"

"You zero Louise!"

Louise looked like she took all of them in stride, but inside, she was burning in shame, and regret. Why did she have zero talent to spells? It wasn't fair. She glanced down at the unconscious teacher… and sighed.

She had a feeling she'll be reprimanded for this. They heard knocking on the door, and it opened to reveal a green haired lady.

"… Louise," she called out.

There was a non-spoken agreement, as Louise sighed, and followed after the lady. She followed her, walking up the stairs of the tower, and reached a room. It was often called the "Reflection Room". Mostly because of the mirrors, and it was a place where one was to reflect.

Louise was a frequent visitor to the place.

So once the talk was finished, she exited the room with grace, slightly proud of herself that she didn't let one of her dark emotions slip past her face after the severe reprimanding she got from Miss Longueville. As she walked down the stairs, she noticed three students on the stairwell standing in front of her. It was the bluenette, the redhead, and the blonde with ringlets.

Her usual bullies.

"So how did it go? At the reflection room again? Perhaps, are you now kicked out?" the redhead called out. After that, she laughed along with the blonde. At least the bluenette didn't seem to care what was going on; it looked like she was just dragged along into this charade. It was the redhead's fault, Louise was sure of it.

She ignored them, walking down. She knew she shouldn't indulge them, it would just make the teasing harder for her to endure, but… her pride demanded to protect herself.

"No punishment," she said, as she'd walked past them. "They said the teacher was also at fault, despite the warnings."

She continued walking, as she'd heard laughter from behind her. It stung her pride, the brimming anger in her chest flooding out, her face burning in shame. "I was just having a bad day."

"You're always having one, right? Since you don't have a nickname yet. You're just a zero."

That made Louise stop in her tracks. It was uncalled for.

"Shut up!" she snapped, her anger finally manifesting in her tone.

"I'm looking forward for tomorrow… I wonder how you will do with your summoning?"

Her pride demanded to be protected, so she let her words slip her mouth. She turned to the redhead, clear anger manifested in her eyes, but that didn't change the mocking expressions of the blonde and redhead.

"I have great confidence when it comes to the Summon Servant spell!" she shouted. This seemed to surprise the two, especially with the conviction behind her words. "Just you wait, I will summon the most beautiful, sacred, and strongest familiar spirit that no one can ever match, even with all of you combined!" she shouted, before she continued to walk. And walk. And walk.

She didn't even notice she was back in her room, now changing her clothes before promptly collapsing on the bed. She lied in her bed, and continued to stare… Her words from earlier was eating her out.

 _I have great confidence when it comes to the Summon Servant spell!_

Once again, shame ate her heart out.

"I never should have said that…"

Louise spent another sleepless night.

* * *

 **Mipha**

It was cold, and dark. The red Zora couldn't do anything, as she seemingly drifted in a never ending stream of water. She had her eyes opened, but she could not see a thing. She idly noted how the waters energized her, but she was more plagued by her desires in her heart. She didn't get to do the things she wanted to do, she didn't get to say the things her heart desperately wanted to croak out.

It was unfair for her.

So, she continued to weep, but she knew she shouldn't weep for too long. Her father would've been worried of her, Sidon would be hugging her, and her mentor would've been angry at the Hylian for making her cry. It felt like hours when she was crying, but it soon passed. Now, she was just… bored. It reminded of her the times when she'd just swim around the East Reservoir Lake to clear her mind.

"I wonder… how they are doing…"

The fates of the other champions, Link, and Zelda were unknown to her. However, she knows she couldn't come back anymore to check. After her death, she was immediately taken away, into this weird space that she could only describe as the afterlife. She wasn't stuck as a spirit back in Hyrule, which was known to happen to some spirits with the will to carry it out. This meant that whatever purpose she had was finished there, and she successfully purified Vah Ruta. It was a comfort she could rely on, but she was still worried.

But more specifically, she was more worried of Link and her family. She was worried of Link, who looked like he was in the verge of death, and her family who would certainly grieve her death. Sighing, Mipha could only do so much. She closed her eyes again, but they soon snapped open. Her yellow eyes widening as pain racked through her body. She could feel herself undergoing a change, as the waters around her turned rapid and savage, throwing themselves against her body. She let out a silent scream, surprising herself that even her voice was removed from her.

The pain she was feeling was unlike any other. She could feel her scales being pulled out of her, being replaced by something raw and entangling. The regions on the top of her head was gently softening and turning into strands, and she could feel her legs change, growing longer, and her nether regions adjusting from its position to a higher spot. She could feel more developments in her body, such as the webbing between her fingers and toes disappearing, her teeth from their normally sharp teeth rounding on its edges, leaving four canines, and from what little her eyes could see, her red normal red and white hue changing into… light peach hue.

She could not believe her eyes, as she felt something grow out from the sides of her face. She reached out, freaking out slightly as she noticed her hands looked… Hylian. She barely had time to process what was happening, when she heard a booming voice echoing in the area.

 **My slave, who lives somewhere in the universe!**

 _Slave… What? Ah!_

The now… redhead couldn't say much, as she was still suffering from the pain. This time, she felt the waters caress her… new body, and seemingly solidify into a white dress with a frilly layered short skirt that only stopped above the knee. The blue robes she received from the Hylian Royalty still dangled on her like a sash, and she could feel the familiar heaviness of the ornaments she wore as a Zora Princess on her head, and on her shoulders. She felt something cover her feet, presumably shoes, and a pair of… bracelets seemingly appear

 **Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!**

Mipha could no longer feel the pain, but she could certainly feel how… raw her skin felt. The waters were doing great in soothing her pain, but little did it help with her newfound uneasiness with her body, and how uncomfortable she felt. Then, a surge of power seemed to flow through her veins, her eyes widening as she felt the familiar healing power reawaken itself inside her… As well as some odd feeling that she could still swim as well as a Zora, despite her new Hylian body… And how she had a feeling that she was perfectly capable of manipulating water…

 **Here, I desire and plead from my heart!**

If turning into a Hylian wasn't surprise enough for the ex-Zora Princess, then certainly her trusty Lightscale Trident appearing before her. She reached out for it, and she felt the familiar weight of her weapon in her hands.

 **Answer to my guidance!**

Then, a bright light encapsulated her, blinding her temporarily.

"Are you certain that this… is the best course of action, Farore?"

 _Who… is that?_

"Yes. She deserves it as much."

"Very well. See to it that this doesn't upset the world balance as much."

"I will sister. I will."

Then, even her hearing was taken away from her, as all she could hear was the ringing of explosions.

* * *

 **Louise**

Louise and her other classmates were currently on the grassy field just outside the main school building. It was a vast field, and everyone seemed excited. Of course they would, it was finally the day after all.

"Today is the day of your summoning! This is the first exam of your second year, as well as the sacred day of your first encounter with your familiar spirit, who you will spend the rest of your life with as a part of an aristocratic family."

The person speaking was Mr. Colbert, a bald instructor who held a staff. When he finished his piece, Louise held her wand harder than she should've. Unease and slight fear gripped her like a vice, one that slipped past her "rule of steel" chanting and manifested itself on her face as her biting her lower lip in uneasy anticipation. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry, she stared ahead, waiting for further instructions.

"I can hardly wait to see how _great_ a familiar spirit you will summon," a redhead spoke behind her.

"Leave me alone," Louise snapped, but it lacked its usual fire. Then… the summoning began. Louise watched as the students summoned their familiar, her anxiety only growing more and more as she'd continued to watch.

 _A bugbear… A mole… how fitting of Guiche… A salamander?! That Zerbst got a salamander? What is this?… woah… And a dragon?! Whose… Oh, Tabitha…_

The sinking feeling in Louise only grew more and more, as she didn't realize how her hands had curled up into fists. The more success she watched, the more she didn't wish to participate in the sacred ceremony anymore. However, it wasn't like she had a choice anymore. It was her last shot into proving herself that she was not worthless.

That she was not a zero.

Pain shot in her heart at that, as she'd watched the students immediately try to get to know their familiars better.

"Have we gone through everyone?" the teacher called out. At this, Louise froze, not trusting her throat to speak for her. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, she didn't have to.

"No, not yet. Miss Valiere is left," the redhead spoke.

 _That bitch Zerbst…_

Still, she felt an… odd sense of gratitude for the redhead for calling her out instead, as much as she loathed to admit that. Never would she have thought that a day would come where she would feel… grateful to that wench.

It honestly felt disheartening and disturbing for her.

When she was called out by the professor, for some reason, everyone immediately formed a circle around her- probably to embarrass her once the spell fails. This served to deepen the insecurities already threatening to burst out from Louise, as she'd continued chanting "Rule of Steel" in her head. She ignored the people speaking around her, until a certain redhaired vixen had to speak.

"You promised you would summon someone better than this big boy over here, right? Louise," Zerbst teased, as her hand softly pet her summoned Salamander.

"Naturally!" Louise snapped back, but didn't realize how much her hands were shaking.

…

No, she realized they were shaking. She knew she was afraid of the spell failing on her.

"Please… work," she said, sending a silent prayer to Brimir in hopes she succeed.

 **My slave, who lives somewhere in the universe!**

She spoke out, raising her wand in the air. She heard the people around her let out confused noises, but she ignored them. She continued to channel whatever mana she had, focusing all of it on her spell.

 **Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!**

 **Here, I desire and plead from my heart!**

 **Answer to my guidance!**

Then, she brought down her wand. Immediately, an explosion occurred. When that happened, Louise immediately panicked.

 _It failed?! It failed?! No, no, no, no!_

Louise was about to have a breakdown, but the dust settled before her rather quickly…

She immediately took notice of the weapon beside a girl. It was a beautiful trident, decorated very carefully, yet she knew those tips would pierce through flesh like it was butter. When her eyes trailed to see its user… Her eyes widened, and her jaw slackened slightly.

A young girl with yellow eyes stared back at her in utter confusion. Louise quickly scanned the person before her, and she had to restrain herself from gasping. The girl was beautiful, nearly inhumanely so, as her perfect features immediately captivated Louise. Her yellow eyes that weren't normal in this world held power in them, and she noticed her red flowing hair was tied in a very low pony tail. However, her red hair also had an odd… white undertone underneath it? It was hard to describe it, it was as if the top layer of her hair was red, and the layer underneath was white.

Then, her eyes trailed down on her clothes. The pure whiteness of her dress oddly complimented her fair skin. The short layered frilly skirt brought out a sense of elegance, as white stockings that reached above her knees covered her legs, and a pair of white shoes rested on her feet. A blue cloth seemed to drape around her like a sash, held together by a blue diamond shaped gem. That was when she noticed the… ornaments.

The girl had an odd tiara on her head. Instead of the tiara circling her front, it circled backwards. On both sides of her head, just dangling down the arrowhead shaped edges of the tiara, there were symbols. It resembled three crescent moons facing upwards, sideways, and a blue gem was found on the bottom, surrounded by the same metal as the tiara on top of her head.

It didn't take long for Louise to connect the dots. A beautifully decorated trident, a beautiful white pure dress that cannot be replicated by any tailor, the blue sash, and the ornaments… The blood from her face fled quickly, as she'd paled drastically.

Dear Founder, she summoned a _noble_.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for now!**

 **You might be wondering why we decided to make Mipha a Hylian. It's more of "it's hard to exactly determine how the cast of FoZ would react to a living fish person." There's no race we are aware of so far in the FoZ universe that is similar to the Zora. We don't exactly have a good copy of the LN, so we'll be basically using the wikia, manga, and anime as our references.**

 **We'd want to avoid any kind of discrepancies, and perhaps overreactions of the children to a Zora. While a Hylian can be easily mistaken for an Elf, at least that is better groundwork to work with since we know _exactly_ how the humans in FoZ react to Elves.**

 **Also, we're not exactly long time fans of Legend of Zelda either. We're more of _filthy_ casuals, well, maybe Aria knows more than me in terms of LoZ. I grew up with Grand Chase and Ragnarok, not Legend of Zelda and Mario. The only games I've played of LoZ is BoTW and the Skyward Sword. - Crowe**

 **While I played more LoZ than Crowe, I'm still having a bit of a trouble remembering exact details. I was a kid who more on played the game, without listening to the story. I can tell you how to finish the whole game, but I won't be able to tell you the whole story of the game, except for the gist of it. Sorry~ - Aria**

 **We're sorry about that, but we'll try our best. Please leave us reviews, and tell us on what we got things wrong! We'd happily change them, and improve on it.**


	2. Familiar Arc - Testing the Waters

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **Hello guys, this is chapter two already! Wow, we weren't expecting for people to follow this story already in less than a day, and a few even placed this to their favourites already. The two of us were quite shocked, thank you lots for choosing to follow this story! I hope you peeps enjoy the road ahead, we have quite a lot for all of you in store.**

 **For our first review, we're quite glad to hear that you liked it already! We hope you do like this next chapter, verifiaman. Everyone, please do leave us reviews, we won't bite! Constructive criticism is very much welcome, we're growing writers after all. -Aria**

 **Also, we apologize if we somehow steered the characters off their personalities once in a while. We're still struggling on how to portray the characters without being too OOC. While we certainly know them, we do not think like them, thus at some moments, they would be quite OOC. We apologize for that, and we will do our best to portray these characters true to their creator, and give you the best story possible! - Crowe**

 **It was quite a struggle for us to write this chapter, since it's the complete opposite direction of how Saito and Louise met. Yes, Saito will still appear in this fic, but perhaps not in a way you'd think of. Other elements from LoZ: BoTW will show up as well! Do look forward to it, and we'll try not to make the mistake of the elements from another universe being overwhelming. We'll do what we can to merge the two universes together without the other leaking too much.**

 **Now, without further adieu, to the story~**

* * *

 **Mipha**

The ex-Zora looked around her surroundings in confusion, as the ringing in her ears finally settled down. She could hear a commotion, of various people gasping and speaking in a language the now redhead could not understand. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and even more so when she realized she _had_ eyebrows when she reached up to touch her face.

 _I… may need to see a mirror soon… But more importantly, am I alive again?_

She checked her pulse, something she did often for Hylians whenever she checked up on the injured. She could feel the blood flowing in her veins. She then pinched her… new Hylian skin, and the slight pain from it only cemented the fact.

She was alive again, for some reason, and was turned into a Hylian in the process.

She wondered what the Rito Champion would've done in her case. The Rito was certainly proud of his race, and to be turned into a Hylian must be quite an insult to his pride. Though, the whole "pride" thing was something Mipha could not understand. While she got along well with Revali, there were a few things that they disagreed on. Oddly, the things they mostly disagreed on were all about Link and his circumstances.

It was something that mildly irritated Mipha, who would often send death glares at the Rito whenever she heard him talking smack about her beloved… though, she knew she had no rights to call the Hylian Knight that.

 _Link…_

Just the very name sends a wave of sadness through her. It was possibly something that manifested in her features, as she'd flinched when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She looked up, her vision finally clearing after the bright light she was indulged in. She stared into a pair of brown eyes, filled with a lot of extreme emotions. There was panic in there, fear, and… resignation? Mipha could not understand what sent the pinkette so, but it was a sight that she could simply not stand. She had seen plenty of that expression in Zelda's face during her trials and visits to the various shrines in Hyrule. It was Urbosa who calmed the princess down during those moments… Perhaps she could do the same for this girl?

She smiled serenely at the girl, something that seemed to have stopped the pinkette in her place.

"What is wrong? Do not be afraid," she called out, as she'd reached out to the pinkette and let her magic do its piece. A bright green light enveloped her hands, and softly entered the person's life stream before her. While her magic is commonly used to heal, she could also use it to calm people down.

Though, it seemed like her magic only did the opposite.

The pinkette only seemed to panic even further, as she'd seemed to… bow her head at her? She was speaking rather quickly too, and the ex-Zora could not understand any word she said. This only worried the redhead even further.

 _Why did my healing not work on her? This is… strange…_

The expression on MIpha's face could only be classified as "troubled". She kept her smile, but her eyes were definitely deeply shining in concern. She reached forward for the pinkette, and hugged her… surprisingly smaller frame. Despite herself, this caused the redhead to blink.

 _Did I… grow a few feet?_

Now that she realized it, she was feeling a little sick. Everything around her seemed to be… closer than before. While she was at it, she took in the sight of her surroundings. There were a few… young looking Hylians around her that seemed to be in the same age as the pinkette before her. Though, Mipha could not estimate the age.

Time was, after all, merely trivial to her.

Their surprisingly young looks didn't surprise her though. She'd heard of Hylian Schools before from Princess Zelda during one of their tea parties. It was a hot topic of discussion in Hyrule back then, and the princess was taking opinions from her.

What did surprise her was the… plethora of colours she could see before her. Hair was coloured before her quite variously, some were in shades of blue, others were a familiar shade of blonde. Her eyes took them in one by one, though particularly stopping at a certain tan-skinned redhead.

 _A… Gerudo…? No… she doesn't have the features of one, but her skin and hair…_

It was curious for her. Perhaps that was what Gerudos in this place looked like? She had seen various Gerudos, and some looked more Hylian than others. Wait… Now that she noticed, their ears… they were round.

 _Are… they Hylians? No… they're humans._

Now, Mipha's surprise only grew larger at this. She'd heard of humans before despite their elusiveness in Hyrule. They were a topic of discussion from Princess Zelda… again. At this point, Mipha idly noted that she learned quite a lot from the princess.

 _Wait, that isn't important right now!_

She quickly scolded herself as she'd returned her attention back to the pinkette she was holding in her arms. She noted how the pinkette seemed to freeze in place. This brought a new wave of worry in Mipha.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, flinching slightly when she heard her voice. It was… quite new, compared to her voice when she was a Zora. There was a subtle difference there, it was deeper than when she was a Zora, and perhaps lighter than Zelda's. The pinkette before her shook her head, and stared at her in confusion. She spoke to Mipha, in a language that the latter could not quite understand. This caused a slight frown on the redhead's lips as she shook her head to signify she could not understand what the pinkette was saying. The pinkette nodded idly at that, before turning to speak with a… bald adult human.

Mipha tilted her head, her frown only growing more prominent. Just where was she? As a champion, she had gone all over the continent. The place was a landscape she did not recognize, along with the buildings in the area. The clothes they wore were certainly not new to her eyes, but there was a sense of… uniqueness in them that the ex-Zora could not quite put her hands on. They also held wands on their hands, and she idly noted the… strange creatures with them.

 _Wait, creatures?_

When her eyes landed on a blue winged lizard creature, her body tensed up. Her eyes widened in alarm, as she'd felt every instinct in her to be prepared. While the creature was certainly smaller than the three primordial spirits she had seen and read about, it still had that essence. There was no doubt about it, that the creature was a _dragon_.

The dragon may have noticed her reaction, as it seemed alarmed as well. The blue-haired young girl that stood beside dragon noted the exchange, and Mipha noticed how the girl's muscles tensed up around her book, and her staff. It was a sign that the girl was ready to retaliate, if ever the Zora Princess decided to attack.

Being hostile wasn't Mipha's thing; that was Revali's. When she saw that the dragon wasn't attacking, she idly noted that perhaps the dragon was peaceful by nature… or tamed by the blue-haired girl beside it. The latter idea was absolutely ludicrous, but she could just not throw that idea away, especially with how the bluenette reacted to her. She let her tension go away, though still wary in case the dragon attacked her. The last time she came into contact with one, it shot electricity at her.

It wasn't a fun experience.

Then, out of the blue, she heard laughter around her. Mipha looked around, bewildered by the situation. Why were the students laughing? She saw the Gerudo-like student talk to the pinkette, who was talking to the adult human, before her, and the pinkette looked downright embarrassed. The pinkette bit her lip, and snapped back, but the redhead only spoke more in the language Mipha could not understand. More laughter erupted after the "Gerudo's" remark.

The pinkette looked visibly frustrated… But that wasn't the only thing that Mipha noticed.

Behind the eyes clouded in anger, there was pain in there. A pain that Mipha all knew too well, a pain that she kept seeing whenever she stared into Link's eyes. She stared at the pinkette, and an image of Link superimposed itself on her. This brought a reaction out of the normally shy pacifist Zora Princess. She quickly rushed to the pinkette's aid, her trident pointed at the redhead, as everything around them quieted down. The laughter receded, and replaced with gasps of shock… and disgust that the redhead could sense from them.

The shock, she could understand. Out of all the champions, she was one who normally talked things down. If she did such a thing before them, they would be visibly shocked at her. Though, it wasn't like anyone could blame the ex-Zora. She just died after all, and her regrets of leaving Link behind and not being able were still fresh in her mind.

She just wasn't going to let it happen again, especially not when she was given a new chance at life.

She heard one of the students speak out, and she turned her attention at him. He was lavishly dressed, his chest area opened for all to view, and he carried a rose on one of his hands. When she met his angry gaze, he seemed to suddenly stop, and his jaws seemed to slacken as he stared unabashedly at the redhead.

 _Why… why is he staring at me like that?_

At this, Mipha felt uncomfortable, and quickly tore her gaze away from the blond. It… sent a really bad sensation on her skin, as she could feel her… pores open up?

"Is this what Urbosa talked about 'having goosebumps'?" Mipha mumbled. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and she immediately rubbed her skin with her freehand. Feeling soft skin instead of scales caused her to have a double take instead.

 _This… is going to take some time getting used to…_

She felt a hand touch her shoulder behind her, and she turned her head to meet who it was. It was the pinkette she rushed to protect from the undoubtedly bullying from the Gerudo-like student before her.

 _No… She isn't a Gerudo._

Gerudos are an honourable race. They would not stop low so much to bully other people. Exchanging unpleasantries, sure, but not outright bullying.

The pinkette spoke to her, still in that language she could not understand. But through the emotions, Mipha could feel it. It was a tone mixed with hope, and perhaps longing, contained within a plethora of darker emotions, such as fear, panic, and other things. A sad smile appeared on Mipha's lips as she'd contemplated what she should do. It was obvious that they could not communicate to each other very well, and while Mipha is a master on reading other people's emotions, things could still be very different depending on the words they chose to speak.

It was something she learned under the guidance of her mentor.

 _She's hoping… Perhaps… she's asking me why I'm protecting her…?_

It was the only reasonable explanation. Mipha wasn't one for logic, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart. She was certainly so, capable of even matching Princess Zelda with her intellect, but she lacked the curiosity that the Hylian Princess had. She let her emotions rule more than logic most of the time. Hoping she was correct, the redhead nodded.

To her fortune, it seemed like she performed the right gesture. The pinkette visibly brightened, a bright smile appeared on her lips, before her visage was replaced with panic once again. She spoke to Mipha again, still in the language she could not understand. She decoded the mixture of emotions in her voice, and she managed to pick out concern, and fear.

…

Perhaps Mipha truly needed to learn how to speak their language after all.

She pointed to where she believed her ear should be, and shook her head. This caused laughter to erupt once again, but a tap of Mipha's trident on the ground ceased it almost immediately. The pinkette before her sighed, before turning to talk with the bald man once again. The two exchanged some words, before the bald man nodded. He turned to the redhead, and waved his staff. A soft light enveloped Mipha, causing her eyes to widen slightly, and move in panic, but realized that the light wasn't doing anything. The bald man smiled at her bitterly at that.

"I'm sorry to startle you, can you understand me?"

Mipha's eyes widened at that, and a bright smile appeared on her lips. Finally! She could understand what he was saying.

"Yes, yes I can understand," she supplied, surprising herself with her enthusiasm, before she halted. While she could understand them… did that mean the same for them though?

"Ah, I can understand you now!" the pinkette next to her spoke. The Zora Princess felt relieved.

* * *

 **Louise**

What had she done? What had she done?! She just obviously summoned a noble from far away to be her familiar! This was blasphemy! She would get expelled at this rate, but most of all…

 _She's going to be angry!_

To her credit, Louise managed to hold back the tears that threatened to spill on her face. She had just created another failure, and now, she just dragged someone into one of them. The burning shame filled her chest, and the constricting of her throat made it hard for her to speak. She was going to get expelled at this rate, she was going to go home with zero marks of her talent, and her mother will be furious. She will not only be a failure to herself, but also to her family.

In some corner of her mind, she idly noted how well she would do as a maid instead. When the redhead was looking around confusingly, and reached a hand on her face, Louise quickly misunderstood that. She quickly knelt before the noble, grasping her shoulders out of desperation.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry to have summoned you, please forgive me for this crime. I didn't wish to summon a great noble like you, please have mercy on me," she pleaded the noble, who only looked more confused than anything. Louise watched the noble's visage turn from one of confusion into… an oddly calm and serene smile.

It was a sight that shocked Louise. An image of her elder sister Cattleya imposed itself on the noble's impossibly calm expression. She couldn't help but feel a little bit of comfort already from her. The noble before her spoke in a language she hadn't heard of before, and she watched as her arms reached up to her. Green light began glowing from her hands, and Louise felt warmth, and comfort run in her veins. However, it wasn't really that effective.

 _She could use magic! She truly is a noble!_

She quickly pulled back, her eyes only widening more and more in fear of what the noble's family would do to her. Worse, she would need to give up her body just to appease them, but she knew her mother wouldn't let that happen. A full-scale war could potentially happen instead, and according to the features of the noble, she couldn't really tell which country.

Actually, was she even _just_ a noble? From her stature, her attire, and her tiara… She looked more of a princess.

Dear Founder, she summoned a _princess_. More panic welled up in her, as her eyes stung really hard. She bit her lower lip, and prayed to the Founder to give her strength, and not to abandon her. Her pulse quickened its pace, and she swore she was breathing shortly enough to cause her to faint. Though, right now, it seemed like everything was quickly falling apart for her. She immediately bowed at the noble, and she distinctly heard the gasps of her classmates.

"I'm sorry, your Highness, I apologize for taking advantage of you, I apologize for summoning you, it wasn't in my interests to take you away from your royal family, your Highness. I apologize for my transgressions, I am a failure of a mage, and I merely wished to prove myself. I never wanted this to happen. I was desperate and-" anything else Louise wanted to say was immediately cut off as she felt a pair of arms wrap her frame.

This caused her to freeze, as she'd realized just who was hugging her. It was the very same princess that she summoned.

 _Why…?_

Once again, she could see the image of Cattleya superimposing the redhead before her. The embrace was filled with warmth, and she swore she could feel it flowing through her body. She didn't notice anything else, as she drowned herself in the comfort being emitted by the summoned princess… Any thought that plagued her seemed to escape her mind, even the nagging of her being a failure seemed to go away momentarily. It felt like moments passed by, as she recalled her fondest memories with her sister, who always calmed her down. She was snapped out of her reminiscing, as she'd heard the concerned voice of the princess speak to her. She drew back, albeit reluctantly, as she'd stared at the princess before her.

Her yellow eyes were shining with so much concern, it made Louise feel unworthy. She shook her head at her, to tell that she couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Why… are you comforting me?" she asked. This time, it was the princess' turn to shake her head. Understanding that this conversation wouldn't go anywhere, she just nodded at the princess' reaction. She left the embrace, despite her reluctance to remain in it, and turned her attention to her professor.

"Mr. Colbert, can I do the summoning again?" she asked, as she'd worriedly stared at the princess, who was looking in bemusement around her. Colbert shook his head at her.

"I can't let you do that," he said grimly, as he'd stared at the princess as well.

"Why?"

"This is a sacred ceremony that determines a mage's life. Redoing it would be a desecration of the ceremony. Regardless of where you'd like it or not… she has been decided to be your familiar spirit… Even though, she's a noble," Colbert mumbled the last part to himself.

It was a sentiment that Louise both shared and didn't. She was fearing for the royal family might come to her in search of their missing daughter, and might ask for her head in repentance.

She didn't want that.

"But… I've never heard of a human being taken as a familiar spirit," Louise spoke weakly. This time, laughter erupted around her, as her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes glistened in the unshed tears.

"I remember you telling me you would summon a familiar greater than ours, and you summoned a human, albeit she's dressed for the part. This was worth it! Did you pay her to wear those clothes too?" Zerbst laughed boisterously.

She bit her lower lip at that, frustration and failure gnawed into her once again.

"I only screwed up a little!"

"A little? You screw up all the time, Louise the Zero," the redhead bit back. More laughter erupted, and Louise felt like running away. She didn't need to be reminded of her failure, not to mention she just summoned a _princess_ of all classes. She had every part of it, every royalty in her bone, then why did these people simply regard her as a commoner in lavish clothes?

 _Why… Why do I have to go through this…?_

Louise wanted to shout the unfairness of the world, when a blur suddenly appeared before her. She gasped when she realized the princess was standing before her, her trident raised at the Zerbst in visible challenge. It wasn't her who was stunned, the other students as well as they've quieted down. She eyed the princess standing before her, and she noticed how frail she actually looked like. Her limbs were certainly not layered with muscles, which is a wonder to Louise how she was even able to carry the heavy looking trident.

Though, the sight before her only cemented the fact she truly summoned a princess. She was carrying herself with confidence, and didn't waver in her position, despite how outnumbered she was. Louise had to admire that.

"You, you dare point your oversized fork at a noble?!" a boy called out, someone that Louise immediately recognized as Guiche. She turned her attention at him, and when she noticed the princess did as well, it was no surprise to Louise when Guiche's mouth dropped open as he'd openly admired the princess.

Honestly, it disgusted Louise for him to stare at her like that. She was a princess through and through, staring so unabashedly is a crime! She noticed the discomfort of the princess, as she quickly rubbed her arms. Perhaps, possibly to get rid of the goosebumps she was feeling. Louise couldn't blame her, if she was in the same position, she would do the same. Knowing that the situation might escalate further, the pinkette inhaled deeply.

 _Rule of steel… Rule of steel…_

Louise steeled herself, and walked towards the princess. She placed a hand on her shoulder, gesturing her to turn around and stare at the pinkette. Her yellow eyes seemed to glow in wonder, and concern, something that Louise was captivated with.

"Are you… protecting me?" Louise asked, instead of telling the princess to calm down.

The princess stared at her in response, and with each passing second, Louise could feel her breathe shortening in anticipation. The princess seemed to contemplate her answer, which is _curious_ since they couldn't understand each other. If Louise had to guess, the princess was probably trying to tell what she said using the emotion in Louise's voice.

In a moment of glory, she saw the princess nod her head, and smile at her altogether. Relief hastily spread through her, a smile managed to find its way to her lips as she'd glorified in the fact that the princess was protecting her… Before it died down as she'd realized in a panic that the princess might be protecting her as an order from the familiar runes…

"Are, are you alright with this? I mean… becoming my familiar?" she asked, this time rather timidly. The princess stared at her again, seemingly conflicted of how to answer, before sighing. She pointed to her ears, and shook her head, meaning she couldn't understand exactly what Louise meant.

 _Or, that she's deaf, but that's not possible…_

Laughter erupted around them, but before it truly took a toll on Louise, she watched the princess hit the ground with the blunt end of her trident. Despite the soft noise of the soil, it _echoed_ all over the clearing. She was truly defending Louise, but this only caused the pinkette to sigh.

She turned to Colbert once again.

"Mr. Colbert, can you please use a translation spell?"

"Hm… Yes, perhaps so we can clarify things."

The old man waved his staff, and light covered the princess like a blanket. The princess looked panicked, as she'd hurriedly moved her trident in a posture to defend herself. It was a sight that caused _heavy_ amounts of guilt in Louise's heart. She probably thought they were attacking her, and this didn't bode well with the pinkette. She was responsible for summoning her here after all, and to be treated like that was certainly not likable. She would've complained in a similar fashion herself, perhaps with an explosion or two.

"I'm sorry to startle you, can you understand me?" Colbert called out. Louise watched as the redhead's eyes widened, and a bright smile appeared in her lips. She was taken aback with the purity of her smile, and how the expression of happiness was portrayed almost perfectly. She was so animated at the moment, and it surprised Louise.

"Yes, yes I can understand," she supplied, before she halted visibly

 _Does she think we couldn't understand her…?_

"Ah, I can understand you now!" Louise spoke out this time. The princess was visibly relieved, as she placed a hand over her heart, and sighed.

"Thank goodness, I was wondering how I would be able to… communicate with you," she said, her voice bordering on shyness as she kept her tone more subdued this time around.

"The same could be said for me. Ah, I apologize, your Highness. I summoned you here without warning…"

"No, no, it's fine. I was just floating around anyway," she answered, her tone still soft. For some reason, she seemed to act more subdued than earlier. She was certainly assertive when she hugged her suddenly, and when she moved to defend her… I wonder what changed?

"And, uh-uhm… Please don't call me your Highness, just Mipha is alright," she said as her arms waved in slight embarrassment.

 _So, she_ is _a princess, an… odd one at that_.

Louise frowned grimly at that, along with Mr. Colbert. Currently, only the three of them could hear each other since the others were still far away from their current circle.

"Hey, what are you talking about, let us in!" Zerbst spoke up.

"Shut up!" Louise snapped. The redhead huffed, before crossing her arms.

"It's probably not important then, just-"

"Please, can I tell you to stop there?" the pri- Mipha asked, her tone still sweet despite the clear signs of anger present in her eyes. Since the students can now understand her, they were taken aback by the _authority_ behind her voice, despite the softness she used to speak with them. This very surprise caused the Zerbst to open and close her mouth like a fish, and Tabitha to stare widely at Mipha.

Louise was visibly very happy to see that.

"You are just a commoner, you don't tell us what to do!" One of the students protested.

 _Stop, don't say that!_ Louise panicked. She watched as Mipha continued staring impassively. For some reason, the smile on her face, despite its serenity and calmness, looked terrifying.

"I wasn't telling you what to do," she said, before turning her attention back to the two of them. Louise eyes widened at the unspoken words, and it was a thought shared with the students.

"My apologies for my... unlikable actions. Allow me to introduce myself properly," she said, clearing her throat slightly. It was actually pretty adorable, with the small flush on her cheeks being the only factor that she was naturally shy, and she was doing this out of her comfort zone.

"I am Princess Mipha, daughter of King Dorephan, and the elder sister of Prince Sidon of the Zora's Domain in Hyrule. A pleasure to be of your acquaintance," she said politely, every word she spoke seemed to be practiced, rather than flowing out naturally of her.

 _It's not within her nature to boast, I see…_

Louise was still panicking, that's for sure since she definitely summoned a princess. The redhead practically announced it to the two of them. She glanced at Colbert, whose eyes were wide in disbelief… as well as fear.

Ah, it looked like he was going through the same state of emotions that Louise went through.

"I-I see. It's a pleasure too, your Highne- Mipha. I am Jean Colbert. My runic name is **Enjya the Flame Snake** , a Square-Class fire mage. I'm currently the professor of these children," he introduced himself in a formal manner. Louise followed suit quickly.

"I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, the third daughter of Duke de La Vallière and Karin the Heavy Wind. My runic name is… none…" Louise said, trailing off as she'd realized she couldn't give anything more than her name and her family bloodline. The pri- Mipha nodded at that, with all regality of a ruler… which somehow suited her a lot.

"Pleased to meet you both, Mr. Colbert, Ms. Vallière. And please, we don't have to go for formalities, I'm… actually a little uncomfortable with them," she said, shifting in her spot slightly. She turned to Louise, who was frozen in her spot.

"Are you… the one who summoned me here?" she asked. Louise could only nod. Mipha continued staring at her… before nodding.

"I see. Then… I suppose you are my master?"

Louise and Colbert blinked at that.

"Y-you're… accepting this position?" Colbert asked for Louise, who was visibly stunned. The redhead nodded.

"Yes... Is there a problem?" she asked, tilting her head. Her eyebrows furrowed cutely, as her mouths seemed to pout forwards at that.

"Th-there is! A lot of them," Colbert accidentally shouted, startling the students. To Mipha's credit, she only blinked at his outburst.

"A-ah, I apologize, your high- Mipha," Colbert corrected himself. Mipha smiled sadly at him.

"It's fine, Mr. Colbert, please, don't be afraid of me," she said. This time, it was Louise who spoke.

"Are you really fine with this? Won't your family look for you?"

Louise didn't fail to notice the brief flash of pain in her visage.

"Ah… That's…. It's a little bit… complicated, but… I won't be able to see them again."

Colbert seemed to have gotten the memo, but Louise didn't. Louise was about to ask again, when she felt Colbert's hand on her shoulders.

"I… understand. But, surely, do you mind if I report this to the palace? The… current rulers of Tristain would need to know of these… recent developments," he said, choosing his words carefully. Mipha nodded.

"I don't mind. You may go do so," she said.

"Then, Louise, finish the ritual."

"E-eh?! Truly, is it fine with you?" she asked. The princess nodded, and didn't answer any further. "O-okay then," she said, nodding to herself, and breathing deeply. The students in the surrounding seemed to finally understand what was going on, and some of the more perverted bunch called her on.

Louise blushed at that.

"i-it's an honor, your highness."

"Please, Vallière, just MIpha."

For the second time in a while, Louise smiled. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière," she said, pointing her wand at Mipha. "Pentagon that governs the five powers, give this female your blessing and make it my familiar spirit." Wrapping her arms behind the taller female's neck, she leaned upwards to kiss her. It was a chaste kiss, and Mipha visibly blushed at the closeness.

"Wh-wh-wh-w-hw-h-wh-w-h-wha?" Mipha asked, her face fully red now as she'd pulled away from Louise. The latter was blushing too, as she'd mumbled her answer very quickly.

"That was how to end the ritual."

Mipha really didn't understand that, but soon found herself hissing in pain.

"M-my body… Why is it hot?" she called out, as she'd dropped down to her knees. Louise quickly went over to help, keeping her from collapsing on the grass.

"A familiar's spirit rune is being carved onto you. I'm sorry, it's a painful process from what I've read," Louise answered, biting her lower lip. She felt bad for not telling her the princess that, it simply slipped her mind.

"I… see," the redhead answered, as she very visibly clenched her teeth to hold back her pain. Louise watched on worriedly, as the princess gripped her left hand which was currently glowing. Runes appeared on them, which elicited a sudden "oh" from Colbert. Once it was over, the poor princess passed out.

"Mipha!" Louise called out as the princess collapsed in her arms, the trident falling on the ground.

* * *

 **Mipha**

" _Children, I need you to be strong, okay? You don't need to be afraid; the ones coming over are merely Hylians and a Hylian child, the same as your age. Perhaps you can get along with the child," Mipha spoke to her children situated near her. They were children that Mipha completely adored, children she would go through heavens and back to protect. It was her duty to help her citizen, and they were no exception. The children nodded, still looking rather timid and shy despite the odds. One of them was clinging on Mipha's leg, and didn't wish to separate from her._

" _Hmph, they have every right to be scared. These Hylians are no good for us; they will simply make use of us like before. This 'diplomatic mission' is nonsense. There must be some strings attached," her mentor, Muzu, spoke. He had his arms crossed_

" _Muzu, old friend, I know that we… had some difficulties with them from the past, but they wish to rectify those mistakes. We must do it as well, for the sake of peace in Hyrule," Mipha's father spoke, his voice echoing slightly in domain. He was easily larger than any other Zora, easily half the torso of a Great Fairy._

" _Peace? Hmph, they're just wishing for our aid for the possible coming threat known as 'Calamity Ganon'. Preposterous, I tell you."_

" _Muzu," her father warned. She had never heard her father speak in such a tone before. It scared her, and it was a sentiment shared with her brother. Fortunately, her mentor took the hint and suitably shut his mouth._

 _Mipha sighed. They haven't even met the Hylians yet, and they were already this tense._

" _Presenting to His Majesty, the Hylian Diplomats!" One of the Zoras spoke. Mipha felt the child tremble slightly, and she placed a calming hand over his head._

" _Calm down, children. They won't hurt you," Mipha said, her serene smile on her lips. The children looked at her, before nodding in resolution and looked back at the coming Hylians. Once the Hylians approached near the king, they kneeled…_

 _Except for one very particular Hylian child._

" _Woah, you're so big!" the child called out, his round blue eyes sparkling as he'd stared at the kid. The Zora around them gasped in shock. The child had the_ audacity _to call the king out as "big". Mipha was no exception from being shocked, but she also found the child… adorable. He was staring at her father with big starry eyes, the curiousness in them present for everyone to see._

" _Link!" One of the soldiers whispered at him, reprimanding the boy. To his credit, he didn't look ashamed from what he just did._

" _This insolent chi-" Muzu tried to reprimand the child, but Mipha's father merely laughed loudly._

" _This child, I like him!" he spoke, causing even_ more _of the Zora to widen their eyes and stare in shock. The child seemed pleased at that, as he'd quickly walked forwards. Some of the Hylians tried to move, but immediately returned to their spots. They didn't dare wish to incur the Zora King's wrath after all._

 _But this child, he didn't seem to care. He cheerfully walked towards the king, and held his hand out._

" _I'm Link! You are?" he asked her father. Mipha looked at the exchange between the two, her father's growing grin out of amusement, and the child's troublemaking grin present on his face._

" _I'm King Dorephan, Ruler of the Zora Domain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Link," he said, holding a finger out for Link to shake with his small hands. Link did so, with a huge grin before he moved his attention to her. He walked towards her, and Mipha found herself adoring the child even further when she noticed that he_ waddled _slightly. She didn't know if it was pent-up hyperness, or if it was a quirk of his. Either way, she wanted to find out why he did such._

" _I'm Link! You are?" he asked, doing the same with his hand out. A fond smile graced Mipha's lips, her yellow eyes shining in amusement._

" _Mipha, the daughter of King Dorephan. These are the children of the Zora Domain, I hope you get along with them," she said, introducing herself and the children. She reached out as well, and shook his hand. When Link did the same to the child hiding behind MIpha, but the latter was shy, and hid behind her legs again._

" _Child, don't be shy. Come on, it's not so bad," she said, helping the child to reach his arms out at the Hylian. To her surprise, instead of Link letting his cheerful and hyperness affect him, he stood still and waited for the child to come into contact with his hand. His smile seemed very encouraging as well._

 _This surprised the Zora Princess. When did he learn to do that?_

 _Once the two shook their hands, Link grinned hugely, and went ahead to shake the hands of every other Zora child. They were certainly surprised, with only Mipha and her father looking at the child with some sort of familial care in their eyes. Though, Mipha noticed the amount of bruises and nicks all over the child's body, as well as her ruffled clothes. She grew concerned at that, and immediately questioned the Hylian diplomats… Surprising her father with her… assertiveness._

" _Ah… Link here was, er… Too hyper, and ran all over the place while we were on the way here, and he, ah, found himself in a bunch of bushes, in a Lizalfos camp, and maybe rough housed with a few of the woodland creatures when we took our eyes off him for a second," one of the Hylians answered sheepishly._

…

 _Okay, perhaps he was just truly hyper which was why he decided to waddle than walk properly. Mipha laughed softly at that. The child was definitely a troublemaker. She walked over him, causing him to look up at her with his blue rounded eyes._

" _Let me heal your injuries, oh brave one," Mipha said, finding her humour. To her credit, the child seemed to smile sheepishly at that, and stood still. Mipha reached out with her hands, healing the child with her spell…_

Finally, Mipha opened her eyes. When the Zora Princess came to, she was currently lying on a bed with a pair of blankets covering her. She had to squint her eyes slightly, as she tried to see with what little light the room provided. She made out some white walls, a few wooden furniture in the room, and a closet. Sitting near to her bedside, was the pinkette she met earlier- Louise.

She liked the girl, though her… rather bold actions left Mipha slightly flustered, and couldn't exactly meet her in the eye. She could feel a bit of her blood rush into her cheeks as a reaction, and it was something she didn't like. When she was a Zora, she didn't have to deal with this… so called "blushing" that Princess Zelda became accustomed to during her… days with Link.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, causing a certain pinkette the "eep" on the side. Though, her sudden noise also startled Mipha, as she jerked up and stared at her.

"Is… something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"N-no… A-are you unsatisfied? I mean, I know my bed isn't quite sufficient to provide you for comfort, but, ah, it was the only thing I've had and-"

Mipha had to smile sadly at Louise, who was frantically telling her excuses, and promising she will do better. While, certainly, this bed was no match for her water bed back at Zora's Domain, it was still rather comfortable to lay on.

"No, no, the bed is… 'sufficient'. Please, don't treat me like royalty, I'm fine being treated normally," the redhead continued, motioning for the pinkette to calm down. Louise visibly took a few breaths in, and Mipha let it. She couldn't blame the youngster, it wasn't every day they had a princess to accommodate to.

Perhaps, this one was for life. Louise will have to get used to it.

"A-ah, I see, I'm glad, but no Princess Mipha, I can't just let down the honorifics. I'm merely a daughter of a duke, and you're a princess, your position is quite higher than mine, and-"

As Mipha stared at the blabbering mess known as Louise, she had a fond smile on her face. It reminded her of how the newborns usually acted when they first met her, and seeing Louise acting exactly like them made her relive that memory for a bit. When Louise noticed the smile on her face, she froze for a bit. The pinkette blushed deeply, as she'd turned away.

"… You enjoyed watching me make an embarrassment of myself, weren't you?"

Mipha's eyes widened, and she quickly denied that claim.

"No, no, no, no! Such act isn't me, I won't step so low, no, you simply reminded me of the younglings back at my domain…" She said, waving her hands around in slight frantic motions. _Only Urbosa would've enjoyed that. Goddesses know how much Princess Zelda had to go through with her,_ she thought in her mind.

"I-I see… H-how young are they?"

"U-uhm… youngest was 4?"

That seemed to have made the pinkette sulk more. It was at this point when Mipha realized her mistake, and she felt like doing one of those facepalms that Revali would often do whenever Daruk and Link would do some… rather crazy things together. She spent the next few minutes, or so trying to coax the pinkette out of her slump. Now, they finally were talking.

"I'm sorry again, for acting like that Prince- Mipha," Louise said, bowing her head slightly in shame.

"Ah… It's alright, Louise," she answered back. At least she has managed to get Louise to call her Mipha without the title and honorifics. In return, she get to call Louise the same, since it was only "fair".

…

…

…

Well, the silence lasted for more than a few seconds. Neither party knew how to start the conversation. In Mipha's case, she was completely new to the area she was in, and she was certain that the place she found herself in wasn't neither in Hyrule, nor near it. She also doubted it was somewhere in the lands away from Hyrule, and perhaps not even the "Twilight Realm" she heard of from the songs of some bard during her stay in Hyrule Castle.

"A-ah! Pri-Mipha, what can you do?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly. While that was a note of concern already for Mipha, she decided to answer her question instead.

"Ah, I'm quite proficient with a trident, and a spear. I've been trained since I was capable of holding either weapons. Sometime down, I took up swordsmanship, but I'm afraid my abilities are subpar with a sword. I'm also quite capable of healing magic-"

"Healing magic?!"

Mipha flinched at this.

"Y-yes, what seems to be the matter, Valle- Louise?"

"Are you a water mage?"

"A water… mage?"

Louise nods feverently, her eyes looked bloodshot.

 _Scary! She's scary!_

For some reason, Mipha had a feeling if she'd answered wrongly, it would end really badly for her. The sight of a visibly haggard Louise, despite her calm expression earlier, frightened her slightly.

 _Deep breaths… Deep breaths…_

Mipha stealthily inhaled and exhaled in front of Louise… Being under the pressure like this was never her strong suit.

"No, I'm no water mage… Though, I'm a good swimmer, I'm no water mage."

Louise frowned at that, her haggard state from earlier seemed to lessen at that... Mipha sighed in her mind, happy that she dropped the topic.

"Then, how are you able to heal."

Scratch that, Mipha found herself in cold sweat.

"Uhm… I can't really explain it myself, but it's more of the ability being born in me, and I'm capable of using it anytime I want-"

The dangerous look in Louise's eyes startled her.

"Any-anytime you want… With chants…?" she asked. Mipha shook her head slowly. A second passed, then another. After four whole seconds, Louise erupted.

"How is that even possible?! No chanting healing magic without it being water magic?"

Mipha found herself in a predicament, as she spent another good hour of coaxing her master from her fit of how her familiar was able to do magic than her, and how it was unique compared to other strands of magic.

* * *

 **Louise**

Louise felt bad, as she'd watched Mipha sleeping on the bed. For the past few hours, she had bombarded Mipha with questions on her healing magic, what were its limits, how was she capable of doing so, and such. In the end, she had to retell Brimir and the entire history of Magic. She was surprised how well the princess took it in. In return, she asked where Mipha came from.

The fond smile on Mipha's face, and as she told the stories of her homeland was a sight to behold.

Apparently, Mipha came from a land called "Hyrule", and that she was a former "Zora" who were humanoids with more features of a fish than human. Louise felt guilty, since it looked like she was uncomfortable talking about her legend, and how her homeland was plagued from a threat known as "Calamity Ganon".

The mere name of the threat caused chills to go down Louise's spine. Judging from Mipha's look when she told of the story of the threat in her homeland, she knew that the redheaded princess has lost people. There was this faraway look in her eyes, clouded in pain and yearning that it physically hurt Louise to see her like that. It didn't suit the princess, yet at the same time… It suited her. Perhaps it was the melancholic voice, or her timid attitude that strangely suited her to look… like that.

And Louise hated herself for thinking like that. Who was she to think of others like that? She was a noble, and she could not let herself think of such corrupted thoughts.

Still… with how Mipha described this "Hyrule", she wanted to go visit the place herself. The princess managed to describe it so perfectly, that, for Louise, the place sounded like a complete fantasy realm compared to her world. Even the vast Gerudo Desert sounded great for Louise, even though the princess have never really described the place as much as the others.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was once a being that relied on water to survive that she didn't really describe the place as fondly as the others.

Louise shifted slightly from her chair, sighing as she'd stared at the stack of hay sat beside her bed. She wasn't… quite expecting someone like Mipha to become her… familiar.

…

She'll need to revise that term. It felt wrong to call Mipha her familiar, despite how nicely she was being treated. She knew she was lucky. If it were any other royalty that she's summoned, she knew for a fact that her head would be demanded on a plate for _stealing_ away the summoned royalty.

Perhaps… partner?

…

Friend…?

No, she could not be so selfish to call Mipha her friend immediately… Despite how kind she treated her, and how she coaxed her out of it, when others would've just left her…

… Perhaps, acquiantances will do. For now.

Louise sighs, before stripping down to her sleepwear, and decided to sleep on the desk for now… She'd need to ask the school for a spare bed tomorrow.

* * *

 **How was the chapter? Was it enlightening? Was it comforting? Let us know! We hope all of you would enjoy your day~ Signing off!**


	3. Familiar Arc - Underneath the Waters

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **We're back for another chapter of Zero's Grace! Hopefully while we were gone, you guys had a wonderful day or two~**

 **Firstly, we would love to thank our new followers, and to the people who put the story to our favourites. We're quite shocked to see the numbers go twice its amount overnight.** **Thank you for giving our story a try, and ended up liking it! Hopefully, we won't disappoint any of you in the future, and if we do, please reprimand us. We will do our best!**

 **Now for the reviews!**

 **We'll start off by a chronological order, it's fitting and fair that way.**

 **Ookami Youma, we're glad you found our start interesting! Honestly, we were a bit worried of our story's start, since it felt a little off with the characters and how they interacted. We wanted a sister-like relationship between Louise and Mipha right off the bat, but it certainly felt rushed for us if we did so. That's why we ended up pushing that aside, and opted to hinting it instead. We started off with how Mipha could treat strangers who are in need of help and how Louise would usually treat a noble higher than her. Anyways, we're glad you liked the start! Hopefully you'll get to enjoy the story, we'll do our best to keep it interesting! Please do send a review if you spot anything more, thank you again!**

 **Guest#1, thank you for your feedback! We'd certainly given it a shot in this chapter, we limited the number of ellipsis this time around, and tried our best not to abuse it. We have this mindset of ellipses providing some tension in the dialogue and the story, so we _abused_ it in the last chapter. We didn't try to abuse it as much in this though!**

 **For the reason why Mipha hasn't been getting any violent reactions about her appearance, it's because her ears are hidden by her thick hair and the ornament on the top of her head. We wanted to portray Hylian Mipha as close as Zora Mipha in terms of appearance. The flaps on the sides of her head certainly covered where the ears were. This was also a reason why we didn't have Louise point her ears out when she saw the former Zora first when she was describing how she looked in her point of view. Though, her appearance aside, we plan to make this a critical plot point for this story. Instead of us trying to get the world to immediately accept Mipha by explaining how Hylians and Elves are quite different and unlike each other, we wanted to have a sense of _danger_ for both Louise and Mipha. We wanted a sense of secrecy to be present in the story, one that could potentially backfire on the two of them as the story progressed.**

 **This is the one thing that we want to make our fanfic unique from others. We have read through some fanfictions(certainly not _all_ of them), and we noticed how some of them immediately had elf-look-alikes be accepted by the cast. It is as if the danger of elves never once registered in the characters, and how they can be lying instead. Don't get us wrong though! We enjoyed reading every fanfiction we've read! **

**For the prose, yeah, I admit I go overboard on them hahahaha xD (thanks for liking them!). It may be due to the fact that my writing may be a tad bit influenced by how descriptive the GoT books were. While certainly not as overboard as mine, it still influenced me too much xD. I'll do my best to limit my descriptions, but it's always been how I wrote my stories, my co-writing with Aria aside. Even Aria pointed this out to me, and, believe me, the last few chapters actually had lesser descriptions than my unpublished works. I will keep limiting myself though, so thank you for your feedback! - Crowe**

 **For the tenses, English isn't our first language, which can be seen with our faulty tenses once in a while. Still, we'll do our best to change things up to keep a consistent flow! For the perspective, thank you for your warning, I actually haven't thought of that~ So, hopefully this chapter could sort of get rid of that feeling of being trapped of going through the exact same beat! It's just, it feels _odd_ for me if you don't get to know what the other side was thinking while everything was going on. This is the reason why we went for a weird first-third person POV, since a third person POV will only make things more confusing with the thoughts scattered everywhere in the story hahaha~! ****\- Aria**

 **Overall, thank you for your feedback! We'll take this to heart, and hope to grow this story into something interesting! Please, continue to provide us feedback at times if it's fine with you! Thank you once again~**

 **Guest#2, thank you for finding the story interesting! Also, thank you for liking our dynamic between Louise and Mipha, it was a struggle for us to find out how they would react to one another. Thanks for reading, and we hope you continue to do so~! If there's anything else that caught your eye, let us know! Thank you again!**

 **digitalsalsa, thank you for your encouragement! We're happy to know that the story is up to your tastes, and managed to catch your attention despite only being vaguely familiar with the franchise!**

 **Waaa, we don't deserve your praise! We're just amateur writers, our writing isn't anywhere near good, but don't take it wrong though! Thank you for your compliment, we hope you keep enjoying the story as it grows by! - Aria**

 **Overall, thank you for reviewing our story! We'll do our best to develop our skills, and create a story that everyone could enjoy. Now without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Louise**

The next day, Louise woke up earlier than usual. The sun had barely risen on the horizon with dark clouds blanketed the sky. She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes with her dainty fingers, and stretched her limbs to give life to them. She stared at the mirror before her, as her mind briefed her with the events that transpired yesterday. Her eyes trailed off to the nightstand next to the only bed in the room, and saw the silver ornaments sat on top of it.

 _Oh, right, I summoned a_ princess.

A princess, one of the highest standings in a hierarchical society, was commonly revered to by both nobles, and commoners alike. The source of their reverence though may vary greatly. Some princesses are truly loved by the masses. Others hated them. As Louise had meditated on this thought, she wondered what kind of princess Mipha was like. Was she loved by her people?

 _She is nice, and she was very fond of the places she told me yesterday._

If so, then Louise had to wonder how the princess dealt with social events. From how their conversation went on, she noticed that the redhead would stop at intervals, as if she was recharging herself before she continued to speak. There was also how she would go silent once she didn't felt the need to talk, especially when it was during the time Louise was telling her all about Brimir. Still, Louise had doubts if her kindness was genuine or not. She had never been treated this kindly at school so far, and it boggled the mind. She could not blame herself for being this cautious. Besides, her "Rule of Steel" demanded it so. She could not rely on others, only herself. It was how her mother achieved her goals, and Louise aspired to do the same.

Though, with her zero talent in casting magic and only explosions, it seemed like her goals were impossible. Fortunately, the summoning proved her wrong.

Louise sighed, as she'd picked up the hair brush, before she proceeded to groom her hair. She idly noted how her fingers easily combed through her hair, but there were still a few knots she needed to delicately comb through. Was this a sign of her stress finally fading away? She would like to think so.

After she'd prepared herself for the day, she went ahead to see the Headmaster's Office. She needed a spare bed for Mipha, and, unfortunately, her request would need to go through the headmaster's secretary first. Since it was still dawn, no students were up. However, the maids were up and about, something that surprised Louise. She'd known the maids in the academy were hard workers, granted it was the same case as the maids in her home, but she never truly realized how much effort they put into their works. She watched how they wiped away their sweat as they'd worked, while the others rushed to the kitchen. Perhaps, to cook the breakfast the nobles were graced to eat in the mornings. As she'd walked past, she was greeted by the maids, in which she returned in kind.

 _They're working so hard already, yet none of us are awake yet._

She recalled how Mipha told her about her subjects. It was a shock to her when the Zora Princess revealed she mingled with the commoners, despite herself. Usually, she would feel nothing whenever she would watch the maids work. It was their job after all; it was their duty to fulfil their responsibilities, but now, she was feeling a foreign emotion, one she'd never thought she'd feel towards commoners.

Envy.

She was feeling envious to the commoner maids; although, Louise would refuse to admit that, her pride demanded no less. Why was she envious of them? Louise never really understood. Was it because of how their efforts usually reached some sort of fruition? Was it because people would recognize their efforts?

 _For the day to come for me to be..._ envious _of commoners._

Obviously, Louise refused that, even in her own thoughts. She continued to walk forwards with her head high, as her eyes took in the sights of the maids working around and some were laughing together. She wasn't jealous of them, not at all. In fact, she was quite proud she made it this far alone. As Louise had continued convincing herself, she never realized that her hands were clenched into fists.

The knocks on the door seemed to echo down the empty halls, and stairwells. Louise stood on the other side of the door. She felt nervous, since most of the times she was called here, they were reprimands of the secretary and the headmaster for the explosions she kept making. Hearing the shuffling of feet on the other side only grew on her worry, as she'd felt the need to run.

 _Rule of steel, Rule of steel._

Once the door opened, it revealed a greenette lady. She was very familiar with this lady. In fact, they had seen each other the day before yesterday.

"Ah… Vallière. What can I help you with?" Longueville asked. Louise flinched at her exasperated tone, and, honestly, the pinkette could not blame her. They pretty much saw each other nearly every day.

"Uhm, er, I would like to ask for a spare bed…" The greenette raised an eyebrow at that. Despite the tired expression on her face, curiosity was able to present itself through her features.

"Hmm? What for?"

"For my familiar."

"Hmm? Surely, your familiar wouldn't mind."

 _No, she definitely would._

"A-ah, no, my, uh, familiar is a strange case." Louise laughed dryly in her head at that.

"A strange case. I see."

Longueville sighed before her, before she went ahead to close the door. When Louise saw this happen, she panicked, and desperately pushed her hand on the door despite herself.

"My familiar is a Hylian!" she half-shouted. The secretary, who was pushing the door back with just as much strength as Louise, suddenly stopped the pressure on the door. As a result, Louise managed to push the door open with her strength. It caused her to move forwards from the momentum, as she let out startled and surprised yelps while she did so. Similarly, Longueville was pushed back and yelped as well as she'd hit the ground. As quickly as she entered, she froze in her spot. The pinkette could feel some sweat trailing down her temples.

There was a tensed silence, and the pinkette feared to raise her head. If she did, she would possibly see a quite disappointed headmaster. She gulped, and waited to be reprimanded by the headmaster. After a few more seconds of silence, the tension for Louise only grew, as she'd felt some sort of pressure bearing down her. Another few seconds passed, but said pressure seemed to fade slowly. Louise was confused at this. Why wasn't the headmaster reprimanding her for barging in the room without notice? She dared herself to look up, and that she did.

She didn't find the headmaster in his desk. In fact, there was no one around.

Louise blinked, before she sighed. A hand was placed over her fast beating heart. She was glad that the headmaster wasn't there, or things might have gotten ugly for her. She turned around, noticing that the secretary wasn't moving from her sitting position. Her head was lolled to the side, her entire torso pushed against a wall to support herself.

 _O-oh no!_

"Miss Longueville!" she practically screamed as she'd rushed over to the unconscious greenette's side. She shook her shoulders, but the secretary remained unresponsive. Louise groaned her luck, as she'd sulked slightly.

 _If only I can use magic…_

She sighed. Perhaps she should at least place the greenette at a more comfortable spot. She swung her arm over her shoulders, and used her little frame to carry the secretary upwards. When she buckled down from the weight of an unconscious person, she groaned again.

"This… this is going to be a long day," she huffed. Her movements were slow, and it was more of she dragged Longueville to her chair. With great effort, she managed to place the secretary on her chair, and checked her pulse. Fortunately, it seemed like she only passed out from the sudden impact of the door on her forehead which the pinkette managed to figure due to the reddening of said forehead.

Louise sighed. Perhaps she should try later, but she didn't like the idea of leaving an unconscious person behind. It was her fault why she was unconscious too, and she wished to rectify that. Even though Louise had a feeling it would take a while for the person would wake up.

She stared out of a window as she'd pulled a chair in front of the secretary's desk, and decided to continue her musings from last night. Now was a good time, since she didn't have anything to do, and she would rather spend her time with productiveness than lax. Like a certain Zerbst.

Kirche von Zerbst. It was that redheaded upstart that made her life a constant hell in the school. While she could understand the reasons why she was being targeted by the red head, she wished she would stop going after her. Louise understood that they were rivals, but, even then, there were certain _limits._ Those limits were being pushed by the redhead with each passing day. It still comes as a surprise to Louise that the bitch found a friend in Tabitha, the bluenette. The latter was still a mystery to Louise, and she would barely react to anything in her surroundings. That made Louise curious. Were Zerbst and Tabitha truly friends, or was it the latter just tolerating the former?

Then, there was the thing about friends. When Louise was younger, she certainly had a friend with the current Crown Princess of Tristain. The two were playmates after all, and she could fondly remember of the times whenever they would rough house each other. They were more boys than girls back then, though Louise liked to think that she had grown into a mature woman now.

Granted she still had her temper once in a while, but she could control it! Anyone who would say otherwise was a dirty _dirty_ liar.

However, in her current and previous years, it would be sad to admit that she hadn't made any progress in the whole "making friends" thing. Even without "Rule of Steel" in equation, she was simply not liked by the students at all. Her zero affinity in magic made her more of an outcast, and there were rumours of her flocking around. It was said that if someone were to touch, or even speak to her willingly, they would lose their magic as well.

Whoever spread that rumour, Louise really wanted to know who, but the people around her would immediately avoid her when she tried to quell the rumour down before it could tarnish her reputation even further. Unfortunately for her, it never really worked out. Only the commoner maids would speak to her, but Louise didn't want to step so low. She would never chat with a commoner, just because she felt lonely.

She wasn't a harlot like Zerbst.

There was that pang of melancholy again. Louise could not understand why she felt it, though she could guess it was simply due to all of the stress that came out of her. She succeeded in the summoning, and Mipha answered her. After one success in mountains of failure, it was both a shock and a relief to Louise's mental state.

It proved her worth as a mage, and it proved that she had a talent for magic.

 _Though, maybe just summoning up trouble is my talent._

Louise sighed to herself at that. As she'd continued staring into pretty much nothing, she was snapped out of her musings when she heard a very audible groan from her side.

"Miss Longueville, I'm sorry!" Louise immediately apologized, as she'd bowed to her in her haste. What Louise forgot about was how the desk was in front of her too. Her forehead met hard wood, and a very audible yelp, and bang ruled the room. She immediately straightened up after that, and held her forehead. The greenette was silent after that, before sighing.

"I suppose that makes us even. Besides, it wasn't your fault why you knocked me out, part of it was me to blame. So, your familiar is a Hylian correct?"

There was a pause between her words by the last sentence, though Louise did not pay heed to that. She thought that it was because of the possible splitting headache the secretary was currently experiencing.

"Yes, a Hylian, do you know them, Miss Longueville?"

The secretary shook her head.

"Unfortunately, no. I was about to ask you what a Hylian is, it's not within my knowledge."

"Well… They're basically like humans. It's just the name of their race."

A frown appeared on Longueville's lips at that.

"Did your familiar tell you anything else?"

"No, she didn't give any physical differences between humans and Hylians. She just told me she was a Hylian, and answered that it was a race."

"I see."

The secretary turned silent at that, before sighing. It was the same reaction Louise had when she asked Mipha that question. While Louise didn't want to be suspicious of the princess, she still couldn't believe that a Hylian was like a human. For starters, Mipha admitted she could use _healing magic_ without the need of _chanting_. The warm green light Louise could recall that she showed to her when they first met was reminiscent to what scholars and bards spoke of whenever the elves would perform nature magic.

Wait. Warm green light. Human features.

 _Elves_.

Louise's cheeks quickly lost their colour as she'd thought of a very _dangerous_ idea.

 _Mipha is an elf._

It made sense. While Mipha still looked human, there was a distinct difference in her that other people didn't possess. Louise couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she just knew there was. Not to mention she was immediately captivated with her looks when she first saw the princess.

 _Wait… Have I ever seen her ears?_

The continued thought made Louise fight down a gasp of horror. During her time with the ex-Zora, she realized that she had never once seen her ears. They were hidden under her luscious red hair. And even though she moved, her ears were still quite hidden from view. Not to mention those odd symbols that dangled from the edge of the tiara were _coincidentally_ placed above her ears.

As if the duty of the symbols was to hide the pointedness of her ears.

Louise felt conflicted. On one hand, she knew that Mipha couldn't possibly be an elf, she was too kind to her, and she had never once shown killing intent to her, and the other humans in the school. She doubted that the princess was capable of lying. However, Louise had seen plenty of con men in the suits of nobles.

 _Maybe Mipha was no exception, and the story she told me was all a ruse to hide her true origins? No, that wouldn't make sense, her reactions and fondness of how she told her story were genuine…_

Then again, elves were known to be mischievous tricksters.

Louise just wanted to tear her hair out, and scream in frustration at this point. She didn't know which to believe, but she was currently leaning more on the prospect of Mipha being an elf. She had spent her years trusting no one, but her family and herself after all. It was the result of being under the "Rule of Steel" for too long.

"Alright, I will ask the staff to provide an extra bed for you. Luckily, there are a few spare beds we have due to our recent… staff shortage. We'll have it sent over by this afternoon."

Longueville's words brought the pinkette back to reality. Louise nods, and bows in gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Longueville."

The secretary just smiled, and waved her away. Once Louise left and was in a safe distance away from any rooms, she let out a slight scream.

Why was it finding room for a new bed in her room the _least_ complicated thing she would have to deal with?

* * *

 **Mipha**

The princess just missed the pinkette, as she'd slowly opened her eyes. She had always been an early riser, even compared to Daruk and his rather tough training regimen that even Link struggled to cope with. The princess rubbed the sleep out of her eyes while she stretched her arms and sat up. For some reason, she felt like her skin was sticky, and her hair felt rough and frizzy. A frown found its way on her lips, as she'd tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling off her mind. Perhaps it was her mind still on the process of coping with the changes of her body. When the princess moved, she found herself feeling oddly lax, and a rather uncouth smell entered her nose.

She frantically looked around with the intents of locating the source. She hadn't smelled anything bad like this, even back in her domain. She stood up, but when she tried to move, she found it oddly wobbly as she'd stepped on her own foot. A soft yelp escaped the redhead's lips as she'd found herself sitting back on the bed.

 _Okay, this is… going to take some time to get used to._

The redhead sighed. Why and how did this happen? She was perfectly well with using her legs just yesterday. Perhaps was it due to the pain she went through the transformation process that caused her to feel numb and forgot the sensation of her legs? No, that would make no sense. Mipha found herself wishing Princess Zelda by this point. She always had answers, and the redhead had to wonder just where all of that knowledge came from. While she sat on the bed, she turned her attention on what seemed to be the mirror. Her eyes widened as she'd stared at her current state. It wasn't because she was naked, no, Louise was kind enough to lend her some of her sleepwear, but it was tight fitting to the redhead. Now, the princess had an accurate look of what she looks like

 _Beautiful…_

She found herself admiring herself on the mirror, before she blushed deeply. If Urbosa heard her say that, the Gerudo Champion would certainly laugh days on end, and never live it down. Though, the more that she stared at the mirror, the more she realized one thing.

She looked like a mess. It reminded her of the times when she managed to catch Princess Zelda in the mornings. The latter looked so tired and sleepy, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back to bed. While she knew Zelda was a hard worker, it was mornings like those when she realized that Zelda was nowhere near a morning person. It made Mipha feel some sort of happiness to know that the princess she served wasn't anywhere near perfection.

Though, Mipha would never admit that out loud.

 _How do I fix myself…?_

When she was Zora, there was nearly to no need to fix their appearances. Their biology made it possible that they had no need to clean up, unless they found themselves in a rather dusty or sandy terrain. It was then when they would take baths, but since they pretty much thrived in water for most of the time, baths weren't used as much. They didn't have hair to worry about either. For the clothes, they were nearly optional; though recently, females took fancy in clothes. The newly opened tailor shop in the domain was a bright example of that.

Mipha sighed. She should've taken the etiquette class of how a lady fixed herself while she was training to be a champion. It was a class they were oddly required to take, but only Urbosa had to go through with it. The reason why the ex-Zora Princess didn't take it was due to how she didn't see the need to. She was vastly different from the other humanoids after all.

"This is quite the predicament I've caught myself in," Mipha mumbled. She wracked her brain in search of memories that featured anything near Hylian Grooming. When she came up with blanks, the princess sighed audibly, though no one was in the room to hear that. The redhead shakily stood on her feet, and walked over to the mirror.

Well, walked over was a generous description.

Once she _finally_ reached her destination, Mipha huffed, and sat down. It felt like an eternity to reach the destination, and she only had to walk for a few meters. When she pulled one of the drawers, she owlishly blinked at the odd instruments inside the drawer. Aside from the comb she was vaguely familiar with, she had never seen any of these before. She gingerly reached over, and took out one of the odd contraptions. It was rather small, perhaps the size of her pinkie, and had an odd form to it. It looked like it was a flattened bow with the same material replacing the string.

The princess was curious of this. Now that she thought of it, the princess wore two of this to "keep her fringe back from falling into her eyes". Mipha never really understood what that meant. When she raised the _hairpin_ , she made the mistake of looking up and craning her head. She felt something prick her eyes, causing her to immediately yelp and drop the hairpin on the desk.

Now, it wasn't a pain that was foreign to her. It was a sensation she frequently felt when she was youngling when a fish's tail managed to find its way to prick her eye. The reason why she yelped in the first place was a the fact of what _pricked_ her eye.

It was her hair. The short strands of hair that covered her forehead pricked her eye. Mipha had to take a while to register that, before she softly laughed.

"I now understand what you meant, princess," she mumbled to no one in particular again. She stared at the mirror once again, and contemplated how to deal with her _fringe_. Though, as she'd continued to stare, her eyes trailed off to find the messy knots in her hair that she presumably created from her sleep.

 _How is this even possible? I'm certain I don't move a lot from my sleep._

Mipha was now currently experiencing one of the pains of having long hair.

 _Perhaps I should start with combing it._

Though Mipha said that, she still had no idea how to use the comb. Sure, she had seen one, but never saw one in use. She reached over for the comb, and held it in her hands. She held it from the odd teeth the comb had, and frowned. She tried to imagine how it works, and held out a strand of her hair to sample. She pressed the comb against her hair, and frowned when she noticed it wasn't doing anything. She flipped the comb around, now holding the whole side of the comb. Once again, she pressed the comb against her hair, and she was elated to see it sailed smoothly between her strands of her hair.

 _So that's how it works!_

Mipha felt happy as she went on to apply her newly discovered _hair brushing_ to the knots of her hair. She didn't realize that she was doing it wrong when she accidentally applied too much force into one of the knots out of frustration, and pulled her head consequently. She yelped again, and pulled the comb back as she'd stared at it. There was some comedic sense of betrayal in her eyes.

 _Eh? Wasn't that how it was supposed to work? Eh?_

To say Mipha was shocked was an understatement. She frowned, before she tried combing her hair again. Just like before, the comb found itself stuck on her thick hair. She pulled the comb away again, and stared at the knot.

It felt like the knot was mocking her.

She groaned, before she set the comb down. Maybe her fingers would do better. She raked her hair between her fingers, and realized then just how smooth her hair was. For the next minutes, she was untying the knots manually with her fingers, while she enjoyed the feeling of her hair sliding past her fingers.

 _Ah… is this how Urbosa felt whenever she had taken care of the princess?_

A soft smile found its way to her lips. Perhaps turning into a Hylian wasn't as bad as she'd thought.

While she combed her hair, her mind trailed off to the memories of what happened yesterday. The summoning, and the history of Brimir, the Founder of Magic. If the red head was going to be honest, she did _not_ like this so-called "Founder" at all. The way he was being revered by the nobles for blessing them, while the commoners despised him for not granting the same gift for them, actually managed to _anger_ her. The people treated him like some _god_ for giving humanity an unfair, half-baked gift.

It was blasphemy. There were only the true three goddesses, and, granted they were also unfair at times, they never once purposely tore their creations apart. What this Founder figure did was do exactly that.

Mipha had a feeling if this "Founder" were to meet Daruk, he would be met with either a pat on the back, before a harsh reprimanding, or a quick death sentence. As laidback and easy going the Goron Champion was, there was a hidden amount of _ferocity_ under that huge likable persona he had. It was one that Mipha managed to discover when she saw him fight when his people were under the threat of Calamity Ganon.

She was taken away from her musings when she glanced at her arms. She quite literally froze, as she'd realized she had been combing her hair with fingers stained with black dust- presumably from the explosion she was summoned from yesterday. Now that she took a better look at herself, she had some dust and dirt on her. She glanced at her clothes, and frowned when there was no trace of dirt on it.

 _How come are my clothes unaffected?_

The former Zora strongly felt that it was unfair. She sighed, and stood up once again. She knew she had to wipe herself down now. She stumbled her way to the door, and patiently went through the motions. She had gone through more difficult tasks, this was nothing to her; though, it still oddly found a way to spark frustration in her.

When she reached the door, she slowly opened it and found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes. Mipha unconsciously took a step back, while her eyes widened as she'd stared more and more into the eyes. They were a shade lighter, that's for sure, but there was no mistaking it.

This person had the same pair of eyes that Zelda had.

The person before her made a short shriek when the door suddenly opened, and caused her to tumble back and sat on the floor. The person wore an odd white frilly garment on top of a black long sleeved dress. The black hair snapped the red head out of her surprise, before she immediately reached over to the maid.

"I'm sorry to startle you. I didn't think you would be on the other side of the door," she said as she'd held a hand out for the maid to use. The black haired lady stared at her in surprise, before she frantically stood up.

"No, no, it must be me to apologize! I should have knocked to announce my presence; it is during this time when I would be taking your laundry, and you were always asleep when I got them, and I was scolded by you when I woke you up the first time, and-"

The blabbering mess of the maid then stared at Mipha carefully this time, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, who are you?"

Mipha just stared back, and blinked. Her sudden change in attitude caused words to escape the redhead's mouth, though she was never one for social interactions. There was a moment of silence between the two, and neither broke it. It took a few more seconds to pass until a deep flush entered the maid's cheeks, before she paled drastically.

It honestly amused Mipha, even though she felt bad about being amused by such.

"A-ah, I apologize, I have overstepped my bounds! Please, have mercy on me," she said fearfully as she'd bowed down. It was at this that Mipha's brain finally decided to function.

"Dear, no, no, no, it's fine. It was partly my fault, I haven't announced my presence at all. Please, raise your head, I won't punish you or anything."

As quick as the maid changed her attitude, she quickly craned her head up. It was a quick gesture, that the Hylian was quite worried that the maid might have experienced whiplash.

"R-really? Y-you won't punish me? Or make me do shameful things?"

This time, it was the redhead's turn to be surprised.

"What? Dear no, I wouldn't do such things!" she said as she'd accidentally raised her voice in the process. The redhead felt _scandalized_ that she would do such thing. She had never once punished one of her kind in her life, she would do the same for others.

"Oh, I did not mean to raise my voice, but I would do no such thing, dear, no, no, no."

"I-I see," the maid said as she'd straightened herself. Mipha heard the tone, and she was honestly shocked to hear the _disappointment_ in her voice.

 _Is, what, why is she disappointed? Is she disappointed for not being punished? But why?_

The awkward silence between the two was back again, as the two were engaged in some sort of staring contest. The red head was never one for conversation; especially now after what she _heard_ from the maid's tone. The maid was just obeying orders, and would not speak until Mipha allowed her to.

Needless to say, it was an awkward minute of the two shuffling around, and avoiding each other's gazes. It was finally broken by Mipha, who finally found a topic of conversation to start with.

"Ah, the laundry, yes?" she asked rhetorically, as she'd opened the door for the maid to enter. The maid nodded at that, and bowed to Mipha once again before entering to claim the laundry. Once she claimed the basket, she turned to Mipha again and bowed.

"Thank you for allowing me to take the basket."

"A-ah, it's no worries. Wait!"

Mipha called out when she saw the maid hastily move out. The maid seemed to freeze on the spot, and turned around. Her expression was one of fear.

"Y-yes?" she squeaked. There was _excitement_ in her tone, Mipha could not doubt that, and for the love of the three goddesses, she could not understand _why_.

The former Zora was innocent, and that would not change even in the near future.

"Can you tell me where I can wipe myself down? I'm quite… dirty," the princess said as she'd tasted the word in her mouth. It wasn't exactly the most elegant of terms to say that one wished to take a bath, but it was the only thing that popped in her mind.

It seemed like Fate was conspiring against her when a blush appeared on the maid's cheeks.

"Y-you want me to wash your back f-for you, yes?" she asked shakily. The redhead's jaw slackened and dropped, as she'd stared at the blushing maid incredulously.

 _How did she even get that idea?!_

"Wh-where did you even get that idea?! I only wished to know where the baths are," Mipha called out as she'd raised her voice once again. The maid squeaked again, as she'd apologized feverishly. At this, Mipha took a moment to calm down, a hand over her heart, and sighed.

 _Why am I getting worked up from this…?_

Still, a small smile found itself on her lips. It reminded her of her interactions with the Gerudo Champion. Only Urbosa managed to get her to react like this maid did.

"No, no, it's fine. I didn't mean to raise my voice like that again, I'm sorry for that," she said, now significantly calmed down than before. The maid simply nodded at that, and offered her the way there.

"May I know your name? I'm Mipha."

"Certainly, Miss Mipha. I'm Siesta."

"Please, just Mipha, Siesta."

The maid turned around with her eyes wide.

"I simply can't do that Miss Mipha, you're a noble!"

Even though the day was just starting, the red head wished to retire to bed already.

* * *

 **Louise**

When the pinkette returned to her room, she had to take every will in her not to panic. Though, no one could blame her why. For one, Mipha wasn't in the room like how she was supposed to be. Two, the tiara was still on the night stand, meaning that she would get to see if Mipha was an _elf_. Three, if someone were to find her and if Mipha was truly an elf, she would be _hunted down_ by the _entire school staff._ Four, if that were to happen, Louise would lose her familiar and her credibility as a mage.

There was also the fact that she just noticed that the bed sheets had black stains on them, probably soot from the princess. The pinkette had forgotten to wipe Mipha down while she was knocked unconscious.

 _Okay, Louise, don't panic. Don't panic, you have faced worse than this._

Louise had faced her classmates' insults. This should be nothing, yet she was panicking. So many thoughts raced in her mind, as she'd frantically moved from one place to another in her room. Did Mipha decide to leave her? No, that shouldn't be it, the latter's trident, ornaments, and dress were still here. So where did she go?

A darker thought manifested in Louise's mind of Mipha being abducted by a group of boys while she was asleep to spite her. She quickly tried to wave that thought away. Surely none of her classmates would go so low to insult her… right?

At this, Louise wasn't sure. There were quite a number of practical jokes played to her by her classmates, despite the rumours, and the bitch Zerbst was on the top of the list. If it weren't the boys that abducted the princess, then it must surely be the tanned skin harlot. It took every fiber of her being not to just march in Zerbst's room and blow her away with her explosions.

"Then, where could she be?" she asked loudly, while she'd bit her nail on her thumb. A rational part of her mind said that Mipha just woke up and decided to go wipe herself down. It was a likely story, knowing that Mipha was a princess. Surely she wouldn't want to stay in such a dreadful state for too long.

"Y-yes, it must be that. Yes."

Louise continued to mumble like that while she continued to convince the air. Some time passed by, and her worry only seemed to grow as each minute seemed to pass by. It didn't take long for the pinkette to finally run out of patience, as she'd quickly left the room in pursuit of her "acquaintance". First, she paid the Zerbst a visit, since her room is the nearest. She quickly looked around to see if there was anyone following her. She found it odd how there were still no students up and awake.

 _Just how early did I wake up?_

When she left the headmaster's office, she did notice that the sun was still nowhere in sight. Though, its rays were piercing through the dark veil. It was a sight Louise committed to memory. After all, it wasn't frequent a noble would be able to see the beauty known as "the break of dawn". Well, maybe her mother would be an exception.

Maybe even her eldest sister for that matter. She was her mother's carbon copy in terms of personality after all.

She crept up to the Zerbst's door, before she frowned. She wanted to check if there were any magic charms on her door, but Louise couldn't exactly risk a spell failing on her. Louise groaned at this, as she'd stared at the door before her.

It was times like this that she had to agree with her classmates about her being useless.

Instead, she decided to press her ear against the door, in hopes she'd get to hear something. She gave it a few minutes, but when she realized she wasn't hearing anything, she hastily left. She didn't want more rumours of her to float around, and especially not one related to the harlot. It would be the death of Louise's pride once that became a reality. Though, that was just one of the reasons. The other reason was plain simple. It didn't need to take a genius to figure out about the bitch was sleeping with many of the male students.

It was then when Louise realized that the blasted Zerbst probably had a soundproof barrier set up.

The poor pinkette visibly stopped in her tracks, as she'd easily imagined what the Zerbst could've been doing behind the door. She internally screamed as she'd removed the image from her mind. She didn't just imagine her rival in the embrace of a man.

Anyone who said otherwise would be a big liar.

Louise sighed. Maybe her bad luck wasn't just limited to her magic. With this thought in mind, the pinkette continued to look for Mipha with heavy steps. It seemed like even the maids in her surroundings understood that she wished to be alone, as none of them approached her. After a few minutes passed of her aimless stroll, she felt like hitting herself.

 _The baths! Of course she would be there._

Louise didn't know why she forgot about that. She quickly turned on her heel, and hastily moved towards the baths. She wasn't panicking this time, since she was sure that no one would be able to harm the princess while she was bathing. Magic was not allowed in the baths after all, and anyone who would break this would be banned from the baths for the rest of their school life.

This was one of the most reinforced and followed rules of the academy. Apparently, there was once an incident of a particularly naughty student that used a spell to drill a small hole into the baths that allowed him to peek. Needless to say, he was punished by not only the staff, but also by the female students who were bathing.

From then, the baths were barely used, save by the first year students who were still acclimating with the school. The other students of the higher years, on the other hand, learned from this and installed their own private baths.

Louise was, unfortunately, an exception who still had to use the public baths. She felt like it was shameful of her to ask for a private bath tub when she couldn't do any magic to be considered a student.

Then, Louise halted in her steps when she realized another thing.

Mipha was bathing, which meant that she would get to see her clean her hair. This meant Louise could walk in to the princess cleaning her hair, and catch a sight of her ears in the process. Despair crept into her heart, as she'd immediately thought twice on her decision to walk in to the princess bathing. While she _desperately_ wanted to know if Mipha was an elf in disguise, she also didn't want to know at the same time.

What would she do if Mipha _was_ an elf? Would she turn her in from the heat of the moment, or would she accept Mipha like how the redhead accepted her as her master?

 _How did this get so complicated…_

Louise only wanted to summon and prove herself as a mage. She didn't exactly wish to summon a princess, who was capable of using magic that was _better_ than hers. Not to mention that she summoned a royalty.

 _Why couldn't I have summoned a bugbear…_

A heavy sigh escaped Louise's lips, as she'd bit her lower lip down out of frustration. She knew she was just repeating herself for the past few minutes, all these thoughts she already thought of back at the headmaster's office, but, for the life of her, she just could not stop _thinking_ about it. It was a particularly heavy problem for her after all.

If she did end up accepting Mipha without letting her fear control her, what would that mean for the others? If the other students and staff members in the institution found out, they would brand her a heretic for housing an _elf_ , and hunt Mipha down. Once that happened, she would be sent back to her home, where she would be training to become the perfect housewife for her fiancé.

Louise didn't want to get married yet. She barely knew her fiancé, especially since she hadn't _seen_ him in years. It was an arranged marriage as well, and while she could admit she had some… affections for the Viscount, she couldn't determine if that was love. Heck, Louise didn't even know what love was truly like.

She neither received nor given it for the past years after all.

 _Wait, that's not the point!_

Louise quickly shook her head, and rushed to calm herself down. She had let her thoughts run wild again, as she'd imagined the implications of what could happen. She steeled her nerves, and closed her eyes. She gave her situation a calmer view.

Yes, maybe there was a chance that Mipha was an elf, but how would that change things? Louise started to list off all the things that could mean for her. Firstly, she started with the negatives. if Mipha was truly an elf, then that meant public knowledge of her would mean death for the princess. There was also a case where the redhead would just kill her the moment her identity was out. On the other hand, if she were to remain secrecy of it and the two were able to broker a deal, then that would mean she had the power of an elf at her disposal.

The implications of that stirred up something dark in the pinkette, as she'd imagined all of the things she could order the princess to do for her, under the pretext of being the Hylian's "master". She imagined Zerbst and the rest of her class on their knees while they begged for her forgiveness. Faint laughter echoed in her head, before she was quickly brought out of her musings. She seemed to blink, before a frown found its way to her lips as she'd stared at the wall like it did something bad to her.

 _What was I just thinking about?_

Louise gave it a minute to recall what she just imagined, before she gave up. For some reason, she just couldn't remember what just entered her mind.

 _Anyways, that's not important. If I manage to keep Mipha's elf identity a secret, I can have the power of an elf at my disposal… Yes, that would do._

Louise nodded to herself, as she'd found it that the best logical way to solve this situation was to somehow find a way to get the redhead to agree. That was _if_ the redhead was an elf. If she wasn't, then that was good news to both her, and the princess. Even though she had finally cleared her thoughts and settled with a solution, there was still one problem that was plaguing her.

Her emotions.

Louise had to hold in her urge to shout in frustration.

* * *

 **Mipha**

It was a quiet walk when the two reached the bath. Neither really spoke, one being timid, and the other being obedient. When Mipha found herself in the baths, she was quite shocked with how large it really was. When she was about to strip herself down from her clothes in the room that contained baskets and towels, Siesta seemed to volunteer to help her wipe down. The glint in the maid's eyes was similar to the one Urbosa had whenever she and the princess went for a bath on the nearby river, and that was enough to send warning signals to the redhead's brain. She kindly declined the offer; fortunately, she didn't need to learn how to wipe herself down. She had learned how to when she was younger, and she was certain she could transfer her knowledge of "bathing" when she was a Zora to bathing as a Hylian.

If her knowledge wasn't enough and found that she couldn't quite replicate her methods, then she would simply replicate the princess and Urbosa. She idly thanked the Goron Champion in her mind for inviting her, Zelda, and Urbosa to try out the hot springs they made.

While she pointedly ignored the maid who looked a little disappointed, she went ahead to strip down to her bare skin and take a "bath". She gave her surroundings a look again, and found herself in awe. It was certainly not comparable to the baths back at Hyrule Castle, but it was peer to it. Of course, she noticed the large pool first with water that seemed to release some steam. The waters were clean and well maintained, and Mipha was very happy about that. While she was Hylian now, she still loved the water. The next things she noticed were the bright porcelain floor and walls were certainly clean, as it reflected a bit of the surface from the ceiling.

Mipha, for the first time she entered this world, felt happy and excited. While she was happy when she recalled about her memories back in Hyrule to Louise, it was more of fondness and yearning than the joy she was experiencing right now. She hastily quickened her pace, as her eyes never left the large pool before her. She wanted to swim in the waters, but she knew she simply couldn't do so.

Bath etiquettes. She was chided by Zelda when she did that then, and Urbosa laughed really hard about it and never stopped teasing her about it.

The memories of her bickering around with her two fellow ladies made her smile.

She sat down on one of the provided stools, and idly stared at the towel, washing bucket, and the mechanism, the water faucet, before her. She tilted her head, her lips formed into a frown, as she'd tried to remember how this worked. She didn't really give it much thought, as she'd let her hands do the work for her. Her hand reached out to turn the faucet, and she watched as the water filled the washing bucket. She gently raised the bucket, and she felt a little surprised with its weight. It wasn't anything she couldn't carry, that was for certain, but it was the first time she struggled with such. Perhaps, was it the dimensions of the water bucket? It was certainly larger than to what the redhead was used to. She shook the thought away, as she'd rinsed herself with the water.

It was a bad idea.

The moment she felt the water hit her skin, she yelped out of its coldness and immediately let go of the bucket. As a result, more water spilled to her, specifically her lower regions, and she heard the dull noise of the bucket hitting the floor.

It was through this experience that she quickly found out that Hylians were a lot more sensitive than Zora. A deep flush entered her cheeks, as she'd felt embarrassed by herself. Even though there was no one around her, she felt like crawling into a hole and hide there for quite some time.

"I-I see now, why the princess yelped when she was pushed into the waters in my domain by accident."

Mipha nodded. Now, she knew not to make the same mistake. She tried it once more, using the bucket this time to carefully rinse herself with the cold water. When the cold water touched her skin once again, she felt like jumping away. As a Zora then, she didn't need to worry about trivial matters, such as the temperature of the water. As long as she was given enough time to adjust, she would be fine.

Now, it looked like she needed to be careful with it.

A metaphorically rain cloud appeared on top of her head, as she silently rinsed her body, and scrubbed it clean using the towel that was provided while caring for her hair in a manner she saw Zelda do while they discussed about the politics between the Hylians and the Zora.

It was through the experience of scrubbing herself clean that she quickly found out that Hylians reacted a lot differently than the Zora.

 _I never would have thought that those biology classes the princess had me attend would be used like this._

After what could possibly be the most embarrassing thing she had ever done in her life, she wrapped her head with a towel. She remembered Zelda and Urbosa doing the same thing, so she would do so now. After confirming her hair was now wrapped by a towel, she idly noted her reflection. She noticed how her ears were pointed just like Zelda's, though a bit shorter. She idly wondered how she never noticed that, before she removed the towel on her head. She watched in slight amusement as her red with a white under layered hair cascaded down and covered her ears. She could see the tips of it poking out, but it was mostly covered by her rather oddly thick hair. If she were to wear her tiara, then it would certainly be concealed by the symbols of her domain that dangled down the sides. After she found out the reason why she never saw her ears, she wrapped her hair back by a towel again.

After that short confirmation, she soaked into the bath. A soft moan left her lips as she'd sank into the warm waters that sent every muscle of her being to a relaxed state.

She unfortunately didn't notice a certain pinkette who currently had a look of shock on her face.

* * *

 **How was the chapter? Was it exciting? Did it make your hearts race? Let us now! Signing off~**


	4. Familiar Arc - Lull of the Waters

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~!**

 **We're back for another chapter! For the newcomers, welcome welcome! I hope you all enjoy your stay, and enjoy the road ahead for us. Thank you for choosing to follow the story, and placing this in your favourites! Thank you so much~!**

 **Now, let's head right to the reviews~**

 **verifiaman, thank you! We're happy you're still liking it so far! Hope you like this one too, thank you for your continued support!**

 **Ametensei, thank you for your feedback! We're joyful to know you find our story beautiful and just at the right balance of world/character building. We don't wish to rush this fanfic too much, since we want to _humanize_ our characters. so we're glad that you liked the parts where we make Mipha adjust to her new environment. After all, it's the little things that count! Thank you for your feedback again!**

 **I'm glad you don't find the character building parts not being overly tedious! ~ Aria**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you! We're glad you weren't mad about the cliffhanger, we try our best not to make too many cliffhangers, so expect that they'll be seldom in this fic. We're not big fans of them either, so we try to use it as less as possible.**

 **Jonu, thank you for your feedback! While we doubt this is a well-written story, we'll still continue to do our best! We're glad you liked our characterizations of Mipha and Louise. As we've said, we wanted to make them as human as possible, so we made sure to give them personalities and give life to their thoughts as realistic as possible, but still one similar to fantasy.**

 **We're also glad you like the idea of mixing LoZ and FoZ too! In our opinion, it's one of the best possible crossovers for Familiar of Zero. There are very similar elements on both stories, and the transfer between characters wouldn't be too hard to mediate. There _are_ wizards in LoZ as far as we could remember from our recent binge watching of LoZ lore videos that could make a reverse summoning of this completely possible as well! We'd like to entertain that idea, but we'll shelve that for now. After all, the power of the Void is definitely too overpowered and could ruin the power balance of LoZ. Thank you again!**

 **Once again, we would like to thank and welcome the new ones who read this fanfic! Hope you all enjoy the road ahead of us, have a nice day!**

 **Now, without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Louise**

When the pinkette found her way to the baths, she spotted a black haired maid standing outside. She couldn't quite understand why the maid was just standing there. Didn't she have anything to do?

"You, maid, don't you have anything better to do? Why are you standing there?" Louise asked; her haughtiness found its way to seep into her tone. As unaccomplished of a student she was, she was still a noble. She needed to show an example to make the commoners respect them.

"A-ah, yes, but Miss Mipha's currently inside and I wish to aid her."

Louise frowned when she saw the flush on the maid's cheeks, but froze when the words finally registered in her mind. It seemed like she was correct about the princess currently using the baths to wash herself off. It only made sense, she was a noble, and she did wake up dirty from the activities yesterday. Louise felt shame for not washing Mipha off already yesterday. Elf or not, she was still a noble. Though, the pinkette wasn't sure if she were to believe the redhead's claim as a princess. The redhead's tiara and impressively pure white clothes aside, she could easily be a spoiled daughter of some noble family.

"And why do you wish to aid her?"

"Ah, it's because I bumped into her earlier, and, uhm, I've wanted to make it up to it, but she refused to give me a punishment."

Louise's eyes widened at that. Mipha didn't give her a punishment? Two things came as a shock to Louise. First, she'd always thought that elves were quite vindictive, regardless of the offense. If this maid managed to offend Mipha however possible, then the maid should've been dead.

 _Maybe Mipha isn't an elf at all…?_

No, she still couldn't discount that possibility. She knew of tales of elves once living in harmony with humans. Maybe Mipha was one of the elves that didn't wish to fight, or something like that. Race aside, there was the case of the redhead's status. Usually, nobles would punish their commoners for odd reasons. Louise was no exception to that, she once punished a maid after all when she woke her up earlier _just_ to get her laundry. It was an experience Louise would never forget.

 _Wait, now that I look closer to her._

The black haired maid before her was vaguely familiar. She didn't notice that the maid was starting to get uncomfortable from under that scrutinizing gaze of hers, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The pinkette gave it a few more seconds to be sure, before she finally gave up trying to tear the maid's soul with just her eyes. She could simply deal with this later.

"I see. Well, why don't you take this chance? You're given a free pass, why don't you just leave now?"

"A-ah, that would be-"

"You don't have any obligations to her."

"…"

When Louise saw the defeated and strained look of the maid before her, she felt incredible annoyance spread through her. She was already given a free pass by the noble, yet she dared defy the noble's goodwill. It didn't sit well with the pinkette.

"Just go, before I change my mind and punish you instead," the pinkette said darkly. That managed to get a reaction out of the maid, who nodded frantically in return. She watched as the maid leave. Usually, Louise wouldn't watch someone leave, especially a commoner like the maid. However, her gaze lingered on the maid, and with every step the maid made, the deeper that _something_ burrowed itself in her chest. She didn't quite understand the emotion, as she'd placed a hand on the top of her chest to feel her beating heart.

 _Why does it hurt like this?_

It was a similar emotion she felt when she watched the maids from earlier, who were chattering away at the halls. She'd never felt anything like this in her life, and for the love of the Founder, she couldn't explain why and how she could feel it.

 _Wait, that's not important right now._

Louise shook off her thoughts, and headed into the bath. She first visited the changing room, maybe the princess would be there first. Once she opened the door, she was greeted by air, and no one in particular. She could hear the distant noises of something, or in this case _someone_ , sinking into the water. It was at this point that Louise froze in place seemed to be getting that habit lately.

"It's just day 2 of my meeting with my familiar, yet I'm already dealing with this," she mumbled and felt a little frustrated by the fact. She shook her thoughts away again. It wouldn't do any good for her to be distracted at a time like this. She was about to discover Mipha's true race after all.

 _Rule of steel._

She chanted her mantra, however, this time around she could hear her mother saying the words. It would need extra effort for this, as she steeled her resolve. She collected her thoughts, organized her plans. She discarded them, before she refined them. She repeated this, until she settled with how she was going to react. If earlier she had plans on how to deal with Mipha afterwards, now she had the plans how to deal with the princess at the very moment. She nodded encouragingly at herself. She knew this was the right path, and she would stick with it. Her mother would be proud of her, and she would not sully her honor.

So why was it is it so hard to get her first step forward?

While Louise confined herself in her mind, she never really noticed how every limb of her body quaked in fear. Her body refused to give in to her commands, out of fear of being killed. Her hands were balled into fists; the fingernails dug into the skin just shy of breaking it. Sweat rolled down her temples, and she felt its coldness on her arms. She could feel herself breathing erratically, which resulted into the tunnelling of her vision. If this continued, she knew she would pass out.

The pinkette heard of people being controlled by fear, but she never really understood how. When she asked her mother about it, she sneered at Louise, and chided her for such a foolish question. Regardless, the mother answered her question. Apparently, only weak willed people would be succumbed to such. Did that mean Louise was weak?

No, that wouldn't make sense. Louise refused to believe she was weak, she stood on her own for years in the academy, and supplied herself without asking for anyone's help.

 _It must be a human's instinctive way of running away from elves. It must be._

Louise was a strong girl, and she could learn from this experience. However, she looked like she was going to fall over by any second. It took a while for her to muster a step forward. When she did so though, she felt encouraged to take another. She thought she must've been in her zone, as she'd continued to take steps without fear.

 _I can do this._

Besides, there was still a chance that she was just paranoid and Mipha wasn't an elf. Louise wanted to laugh herself. Maybe she was just tired, that's all. A smile began to grow on her face, as she'd opened the door to the bath. When she saw someone in the pool, she was about to call out to her, but the words died in her mouth when saw her worst nightmare come true. Her jaw slackened at the sight, and she felt shock run through her system.

Pointed ears. There were pointed ears in the bath. Well, not exactly _just_ pointed ears, but there were pointed ears!

While it didn't look like it was real, and Louise hadn't really inspected it yet, they were still pointed ears!

 _Dear Founder, I've summoned an_ elf _._

An extreme sense of déjà vu seemed to hit Louise like a truck, as she'd leaned against the wall on her slide. Her legs gave up on her, as she'd slid down the wall.

 _Wait, Louise, think about it. Mipha can simply not be here, and the person before me is a completely different person._

It seemed like her mind wished to run away from her situation, and she couldn't fault herself for that.

 _B-besides, there are stories of e-elves sneaking in to nobles' houses to perform mischievous acts._

She nodded to herself. She stared at the one sat in the bath, and gave the elf a closer look. She had peach skin, and had a frail looking frame.

 _No, it must be a coincidence, right?_

Reluctantly, her eyes trailed to the nape of her neck. There, she some strands of white hair that was tied up. Her eyes remained glued to the hair. While Mipha had red hair, she did have an odd white under layer. By this point, Louise found herself hoping she was wrong, but she knew it was futile. As if the world wanted to mock her, the elf before her turned to the side. Her fringe was on the front, and her yellow eyes were the tell-tale signs that the elf before her was none other than the princess.

By this point, Louise didn't know what to do. All thoughts of Mipha being possibly one of those diplomatic elves fled her mind, as her fear won out her bravery. She wanted to just scream _elf_ and run for her life. Even though there's a chance she might be killed before she could even escape, she'd wanted to at least have Mipha be dealt with by the staff. She didn't want anyone else in the school to be endangered by her mistake.

With her shortening breaths, her vision started to blur again. She could hear her mother's voice reprimanding her, and Cattleya's soothing voice comforting her together. It was chaos in her head, as she'd heard voices of the two most important people in her life. In some rational part of her mind, she recalled the plans she made before she went to face the now obviously _elf_.

Then, she watched as the redhead twitched, before the latter sighed. In fear of being caught by the elf, she quickly gathered her strength on her limbs and fled as fast as she could. Of course, she did so quietly so the redhead behind her wouldn't notice. Once she was out of the baths, she dashed down the halls. She didn't mind the maids around her, who yelped in surprise when she passed them.

While she was dashing, she accidentally collided with something in front of her. A male huff could be heard on the other side, as Louise tumbled down on the floor and sat on her behind. She quickly looked up to see who she bumped into, and saw a familiar bald headed mage, who was currently picking the pieces of paper off the floor.

Louise paled drastically at this.

"P-professor Colbert! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," she apologized quickly, as she'd composed herself and hurried over to help the professor pick up the papers.

"Ah, no, it's fine Ms. Vallière. I was distracted myself," the old man waved off, though he had a slight air of depression around him. When the pinkette sensed that, she immediately apologized again. A tired smile found its way to his face. His eyes told a great number of stories, but, unfortunately, Louise didn't have the experience to tell. All she could see in his eyes were slight dismay.

"Still, it's rare to see you awake in this hour Miss Vallière. Is something wrong?" the professor asked. Louise froze at that as she'd immediately remembered the biggest threat. She was about to speak, her mouth was already open, but held herself back at the last minute. She just couldn't say that her familiar was an elf. The moment she did, she would lose her credibility as a mage.

Instead, her lips immediately shut, and she bit her lower mouth. The older professor seemed to be worried at this, with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern.

"Miss Vallière? What's wrong?" he asked; his voice now softer than before. He seemed to have settled to using magic to picking up the fallen paper pieces.

"No, it's nothing," Louise lied. She saw the professor narrow his eyes, and she flinched. He seemed oddly sharp, and it wasn't something that Louise liked. It reminded her of the times when she lied to her mother, and she never really got past the telling part. She was quickly reprimanded for it. She'd prepared herself for her punishment, even closed her eyes shut. The pinkette stayed like this for a few seconds. Then, for a minute.

Nothing happened to her.

She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a frown on the professor's face.

"I don't know what you were expecting from me, Vallière, but I wouldn't do such a thing. Now, what's plaguing you? Is the bullying getting severe again?" he asked. Out of all the professors, Colbert was the one most concerned with Louise, and the one the pinkette respected out of the most. Despite her zero affinity for any of the elements, the professor never once gave up on her and continued to teach her. He even offered private lessons to her, in order to determine the true reason why Louise just couldn't seem to use any magic.

The pinkette wanted to take the offer, she really did, but her pride held her back. So, when she refused the offer, it was a mixed response from the professor.

 _How am I going to answer this?!_

While Louise was definitely more mature compared to her classmates, she was still a teenager. She would get flustered, and now was one of those moments. She didn't trust her voice right now, because she could just spill everything by accident. Her plans on how to deal with Mipha from earlier would be a big waste now.

She thought of her response carefully, and she saw the frown grow deeper on the professor's face while she contemplated. This sent waves of panic in her. She didn't want the only professor who was determined to teaching her to be gone.

"A-ah, it's just, it's the whole familiar thing. I'm still uncertain on how things work, and it was my first successful spell, so, I was, er, unable to sleep."

The silence that followed that was unbearable for the pinkette. She watched the professor's expression carefully. There was an interesting mix of emotion that the professor managed to express. One from realization, to amusement, to confusion.

"I see! Yes, today is the Day of the Void after all. It would only make sense you would be excited, why yes indeed!" the professor chirped out, his expression now cheerful compared to the solemn one he wore from earlier. The sudden change in attitude caused the pinkette to blink. The professor sighed in relief before her, or that was what Louise thought.

"I was worried since you didn't look so well. You look rather pale, though I suppose your lack of sleep explains that! Would you like me to answer some of your definitely excited questions? I don't mind sharing, we have time after all," the professor offered. There was excitement in his eyes, and Louise's sighed internally. Her sigh was a mix of both relief and exasperation. If there were one thing the professor would have a trademark of, it would be his thirst for knowledge, and sharing it.

It made Louise smile, despite her current dilemma.

"Yes, if you don't mind."

The professor nodded at that, his smile surprisingly infectious.

"Great! Let's head for the library, this place is hardly a good spot to talk."

The pinkette could only nod at that.

* * *

 **Mipha**

The redhead sighed in relief, as she'd sunk herself further into the bath. It felt nice to her skin, the temperature was just right. She couldn't believe how comfortable it was. As a Zora, she never really understood the charm of warm waters. Her body heat will simply adjust to the waters overtime, and she would find it no different from the cold waters. She was often bemused by the expressions of the people around her whenever they enter the waters in her domain.

Though now, Mipha could completely understand why.

She fondly remembered the faces of each champion who found themselves in the waters. As usual, it was Link who didn't have any… sort of change in his expression. The most Mipha saw from him was wide eyes, and a slightly opened mouth. That was it, no comments after the drop, or anything else.

It honestly hurt the redhead. When she first saw the changes, she'd simply thought that it was normal. Perhaps it was to the new height was the reason why he'd seemed to stare into the distance more, but Mipha had a nagging feeling that it was something else. She had tried many times to get the Hylian Knight to open up, but she could never be so successful. She tried to confide this to Princess Zelda, but held back in the fear that she might accidentally push the two together.

An ugly knot formed in her heart, and she felt some tears form on the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears away with her finger, and heaved a weary sigh.

 _It seemed like even the tiniest of thoughts, my heart is still drawn to yours, Link._

She turned to the side, and idly stared at the porcelain tiles. She let her mind waver for a while, as she fully knew that she wouldn't be able to let go of her beloved anytime soon.

Nor would she think she'd be able to let him go anyways.

Meanwhile, it was particularly amusing to see Daruk, who was most used to the hotter climates that the cold temperature of water was a near foreign experience for him, with a shocked face. She could remember him thrashing around at the cold waters, and shouted that it was "as bad as the time when he faced a dog when he was young". Now, Mipha wasn't sure what he meant, but after a short consultation with Zelda, she found out that the Goron Champion, the _fearless_ leader of Gorons, was scared of dogs.

Now, the Zora princess didn't know how to take that. For one, she could completely understand his reasons, especially since he was a humanoid who was more acclimated with the warmer weather, but to compare the cold waters of the Zora Domain to the time when he received his trauma from dogs was a little bit _harsh_. Mipha was proud of her domain, and it was slightly insulting to hear that. Then again, her amusement with Daruk's face made her forgot why it was insulting in the first place.

Even as she'd remembered his rather shocked face in her current situation, a soft chuckle escaped her lips. The redhead yawned right after. She felt _surprisingly_ tired, and that was quite an understatement. While she may have had her rest, she was knocked unconscious than being well-rested. The sleep followed after that wasn't wholesome either, it was a nap at most since she talked with Louise until night fell. While her physical body felt better now, compared to the numbness she felt this morning and yesterday, her emotional state wasn't. It was a hard thing to describe, it was as if she was feeling better, but her soul was tired. She could make a few guesses why.

One, she thought that it must be due to the sudden change of her body that her soul was still adjusting to her Hylian form. After all, souls were said to mirror the physical appearance of its host. Secondly, she guessed it might have something to do with her battle against Waterblight Ganon. She did, after all, _die_ right after the battle.

That was one thing that Mipha was surprisingly over though. Even though she died, it felt as if she never died in the first place. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, as she'd stared at her skin that was now coloured a slight shade of pink.

 _I miss them. I terribly miss them._

Even though it was a day for her, she worried for Hyrule. She hoped that her fellow champions were doing alright, and the princess managed to unlock her powers before Calamity Ganon managed to unleash his malice to everything else. Mipha fell into silence as she'd recalled the earlier states of the battle, until her last breathe. A few minutes passed after this, as she'd never noticed that her body was rising in temperature.

As a result, she was suddenly brought of her musings once she felt odd. It was as if her surroundings blurred and twisted, and her body fatigued. If she were to describe it, it was like being placed into hot boiling water without taking the time of adjusting into it. She immediately stood up to try and leave the bath, but found her steps wobbly as well. She panicked at this, as she'd tried to step out the bath. However, her legs felt oddly weak, and she just splashed face first right into the water.

She made the horrible mistake of breathing in the warm water.

It _hurt_.

Mipha could not describe it as well, as she'd never experienced something like this before. She immediately pulled her head back, as she'd felt something akin to lava go down to what Zelda would call "nostrils". At some weird part of Mipha's brain, it noted that the nostrils seemed to stretch into the throat inside the face.

Tears spilled on the sides of Mipha's eyes, as she'd desperately waddled out of the water and crawled into the cold porcelain floor. She comically laid there, with erratic breathing as she'd tried to sooth the burn she was currently feeling inside her nostrils. The weird part of her brain noted that she should be thankful that the water wasn't boiling, or it would've been seriously bad for her.

So, she just laid there for a while, and called upon her healing powers when she thought it wouldn't heal quickly. She'd immediately felt the warmth spreading in her chest, which signified that her powers were working. She redirected the flow of the warmth into her nostrils, and she slowly felt better in the process. The reason why it took longer was because Mipha had no clear image of what the nostrils look like inside a Hylian body. Her powers worked, depending on how strong Mipha's imagery of the part she was healing. That was why it was easier to heal cuts and bruises, compared to internal bleeding, and organs. One small mistake could lead to her healing the wrong part, and cause an abnormality instead. This is why she completely understood Zelda's troubles with how she couldn't summon the sealing power that was destined inside her. While Mipha already had her powers, it took an extreme amount of will and imagination to use it very extensively.

Mipha, despite her current situation, blushed when she recalled what she was supposed to tell Zelda if Calamity Ganon hadn't struck. She was about to advise the princess to have an "anchor" to think about when she tried to unlock her powers.

Obviously, Mipha was about to say she thought about _Link_ whenever she had to use her powers with great focus.

That brought a huge wave of embarrassment, and longing in the former Zora's heart. Try as she may, she knew she just couldn't be able to move from this. She sighed, as she'd felt her nostrils return to the way it was before. This time, she redirected the flow of her powers to her head to ease out the dizziness. It was faster this time, since she had done this for other people before. The dizziness vanished in seconds, as her vision returned to normal. She sat up, sighing in relief.

Perhaps, it was time to leave the bath.

She slowly stood on her feet. This time, she walked with confidence, and she hadn't had an issue with her steps unlike the morning. She had long adjusted to her new limbs after the long walk with Siesta. She idly wondered if the maid was outside, as she'd entered the changing room. She dried herself off, similar to how she would before. Now that she had taken a better _experience_ with her body, it was easier for her to dry herself off now, compared to how she scrubbed herself earlier.

The deep blush on Mipha's cheeks made it obvious. Truly, a Hylian's body reacted differently to a Zora's. She reached out to her right as a habit to reach for her tiara.

Only to realize she had forgotten to bring along a change of clothes.

"…"

Mipha felt her cheeks flare up even more, and she had the very distinct need to dig up a hole and hide in it for perhaps the next decade. How could she have forgotten such… things? She had forgotten her tiara too, now that she thought of it, as well as her Lightscale Trident.

If her father, or Muzu were to know of this, they would definitely scold her.

She quickly looked around the room in panic, as she'd hastily tried to look for anything she could wear. Her frantic motions could be seen as adorable, as her slightly wet hair frantically moved against the wind. She opened the weird door like things, ones she could vaguely familiar as to what Zelda would call a "wardrobe". Though, at some calm part of the redhead's mind, it noted that these were a lot smaller to what Zelda had. Unfortunately, there was nothing near an "article of clothing" inside the cabinets. This only sent a bigger wave of panic to surge through Mipha, before she halted in her tracks.

 _Okay, breathe, breathe. It'll be okay._

She placed both of her hands on her chest, a similar gesture she made when she calmed herself down when Purah was taking a "picture" of her and the champions. She deeply breathed 3 times which calmed her nerves and racing heart in the process.

 _Okay, now, I can use this towel for now. How do they do this again?_

It had always been a mystery to the redhead how Urbosa and Zelda managed to keep the towels from falling off when they wrapped themselves with it. She tried to replicate what they'd done with the one she was currently holding. Unfortunately, it seemed to slip off every time she wrapped it around her slender frame.

It didn't help that she didn't nearly had a chest to begin with to help the towel wrap itself around her.

A sense of shame, and anger seemed to burn through Mipha when she had that thought. It was still there, definitely! While they may look like small hills, it was something!

 _Wait, that's not the problem here!_

For some reason, the redhead found herself worked up by her own. She quickly tried to wrap herself with the towel again and again, until she finally fixed it in place. A smile found its way on her face.

"I did it!" she said. It was immediately followed after her short shrieking nice, before she frantically looked around to see if anyone heard her. Fortunately, there was still no one in the area. She sighed in relief. She quickly walked to the exit, and slightly opened the door. She hoped she would get to see a maid outside, and that she did. She saw a maid with brown hair, who was currently dusting at a vace.

"Uhm, hello?" she called out, unsure if her voice would reach her. While Mipha could be as loud as she possibly could, she didn't prefer to raise her voice. It hurt her throat after all. Fortunately for her, the maid managed to hear her, and turned around.

Mipha tilted her head confusingly when the maid stared at her with a flushed face.

"H-h-h-how can I help you, miss…?" she asked shakily. The maid's eyes shakily seemed to move all over Mipha's frame, something that unnerved the princess.

"Uhm, can you grab me some clothes? I seemed to have forgotten to bring a change."

The maid quickly nodded, before she asked Mipha for her size. By this point, Mipha only tilted her head again, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Uhm, pardon me, but what is a 'size'?"

The maid seemed to have stopped flustering at that, and the two stared at each other with blank and confused faces.

"A size is, uhm, er, ah, a size is the, uh, size of your outfit," the maid explained lamely. To her credit, Mipha managed to understand what her message came across. The redhead nodded at that, before she looked down to assess her body.

"Maybe a small would do?"

"Small, okay. If you will excuse me, Miss Mipha," the maid said as she'd bowed before she went off to go grab Mipha a change of clothes. The Hylian noted that the maid seemed to hurry in her footsteps, which only bemused her even further. It was only when she stared at a full body mirror, and realized what she looked like when she talked to the servant. Her pink skin seemed to glisten and her wet hair stuck to her bare shoulders; her flushed face that Mipha didn't know if it was from the heat from the bath, or the embarrassment.

She looked suitably erotic.

 _I, I want to hide…_

Burning shame found its way to Mipha once again, as she'd sat down on the floor with a metaphoric rain cloud on the top of her head.

* * *

 **Louise**

The pinkette felt like exploding herself. She followed Professor Colbert to the library in silence when she realized that she got herself caught in the professor's flow. She reprimanded herself. She was already a mess, yet she accepted the professor's offer.

 _How am I going to keep a secret like this?! Nice going Louise, you just ruined yourself up!_

On the bright side, she was about to learn more from the professor. Maybe she could also use this time as a way to find out what was wrong with her? The professor did promise he would look into her situation further. She could also use this chance to get a one up from her classmates by learning lessons in advanced.

"Ah, here we are. Now, Louise, what question would you like to start with?"

That was a tricky question. Louise didn't want to start off with the familiar thing right off the bad. She needed to get distracted first, or else the whole "Mipha is an elf" thing would stick in her mind until she finally blurted it out when she hadn't had enough.

"Hm, maybe let's start with how I couldn't use any magic in the first place?" she asked. The professor nodded at that, as he'd sat down on the table.

"Ah, that's a surprise. That's what I've been researching this morning, and plan to do more later this afternoon. Funny how coincidences work, eh?" The professor laughed, and Louise laughed dryly in her head.

 _Yeah, coincidence._

"I have a number of theories why you couldn't use magic," he said and pulled some papers from the pile. "The first one is this: zero affinity theory."

By the name alone, it sent Louise in a state of depression as she'd stared at the professor with dead eyes.

"Mr. Colbert, I would prefer it if you don't say anything like that."

The professor's eyes widened at that, before he shook his head frantically.

"No, no, no, it's nothing like what you think! Please, let me explain," he rushed out as he'd quickly read the paper on his hands. "This theory is, er, not like the others. It talks about how Magic isn't just entirely based on the Five Major Elements, and that magic is purely based on a user's 'Origin'. It is a theory that says that every one of us have a unique Origin, and our spells reflect what our Origin are. There was a written case in this theory as well. Long ago, there was a Mage who could summon countless swords, spears, axes, and the like out of thin air. Each weapon he summoned had a power of their own, which rivalled and trumped even the strongest magic known to Elves."

While the professor spoke, Louise found herself leaning in. She felt hope spark in her heart as she'd listened to the theory. While it sounded odd and blasphemous to what the Founder established, if it gave her a chance to use magic, she would gladly test the theory out. Though, her religious belief found itself in conflict with the theory.

"But isn't that blasphemy?!" Louise found herself exclaiming. The professor frowned at that, and nodded.

"Yes, it's truly blasphemy. However, this case that was used as evidence in the theory had _historical evidence_ to prove that this Mage truly once existed. This relic was said to be hidden by the Pope himself, as it could potentially destroy the world by its own."

Louise's jaws slackened at that. Perhaps this was a sign? That she had zero affinity because she had a unique Origin?

"Then, professor, what could my Origin be?"

"Erm, It doesn't state in the theory how one could determine his or her origin, which is why it is still a theory, and there was only one recorded case of this. No other Mages similar to the one in the case showed up in the past centuries."

"I see. Still, professor, what do you think my Origin could be?"

"Uhm, ah, er, that's, maybe explosions?"

It was silent. Louise blinked as it took a while for his words to register. After she blinked again, she slowly diverted her attention at the table, and let out a long sigh.

 _That was disheartening._

Well, at least Louise was definitely distracted now.

"Ah! There are other theories too, here, let me find it," he said as he'd tried to cheer the pinkette. He looked through his pile again, and brought out another pile of paper. He quickly read through it, before he cleared his throat.

"This next theory is about "Controlled Mana". It's a case where the body of a mage has so much mana reserves in them, that any spell that they cast would end up in failure if the mana flow wasn't controlled correctly."

Louise perked up at that.

"If the mana was able to be redirected, then the casted magic would be 5x of its original strength. However, it would take time perhaps a decade, to get a precise control of one's mana."

The professor stopped there as he'd trailed off. Louise couldn't fault him why he trailed off. The pinkette was visibly deflated after all when she heard that.

 _A deacade. It would take me a decade for me to use magic. No, there's perhaps in there, which means it could be longer, but it could also be sooner._

Louise sighed at that. The professor fumbled around as he'd tried to find an uplifting one.

"Ah, here's another one! I assure you this will lift up your spirits. Third time's a charm after all!"

The pinkette smiled at that. Maybe it would work in her favour this time.

"This one is personally my theory, and it has something to do with your familiar." There was a grim tone that found its way to his voice, which well suited the current serious expression on Colbert's face. It wasn't one that Louise was familiar with. In fact, it looked too scary for her as she'd shivered in fright from the way Colbert's eyes glinted with steel and madness.

"You are a Void User, Vallière."

Silence reigned supreme between the two of them. A mix of emotions run through Louise, and her jaw slackened at every emotion she felt. She felt pride, overflowing pride in her that it threatened to burst through her throat to let out a war cry of victory. On the other, she felt _scandalized_ as she'd felt her heart wanted to tear itself out of her body just from the sheer _blasphemy_ the professor was telling her. The religious side of her didn't believe it, as it shouted at her that only the Founder had the privilege to use said magic.

"Th-that's blasphemy, Mr. Colbert! Only the Founder is allowed to use the Void Magic. For one as lowly as me to be able to use the same magic as the Founder, it's ridiculous to think of!" she shouted with each word in her sentence went higher in pitch than the former. She had to give the professor some credit, he simply stared back at Louise with an unflinching gaze. The sheer seriousness of the professor caused some of reality to kick in for Louise, as she'd slowly slumped in her seat.

"I know and understand how you feel, Miss Vallière. When I first thought of this theory, I was disgusted with myself. However, the more records I dug up, the more I realized that this might truly be the true answer to your problem. Did you know, in the past, there were also other mages that summoned a human familiar like you?"

Louise was shocked. There were other people that went through what she did?

"R-really?"

"Yes. In fact, apparently even the Founder himself had a human familiar. Do you know what they all have in common?"

Louise was scared to ask. She didn't want to believe what he was saying, her mind was trying its best to shut her ears out, but her curiousness won through. Colbert seemed to have taken her silence as a "what" as he'd answered his own question.

"They were all Void Mages, and the familiars all had similar runes."

By this point, he pulled out a book from his bag, and placed it down on the table. He seemed to mechanically flip the pages until he abruptly stopped. He flipped the book, so Louise could see its contents. Louise leaned forward, and her eyes widened in recognition of the symbol on the book.

It was the same one she saw on Mipha's hand.

"This here is Lífþrasir. The 'love of life', rumoured to be the runes of one of Brimir's familiars. And this is the _same_ rune that we found embedded on Princess Mipha's left hand when the ritual was finished."

That was it, the final nail in the coffin that solidified the reality for Louise.

 _I'm a void mage._

Louise felt reality around her halt to a stop, as she'd stared at shock on the book. She didn't know how, and _what_ she would do with this knowledge. She slumped on her chair again, and she'd stared at the book lifelessly. She didn't see the worried expression on Colbert's face.

"This is still a theory of mine, I'm not sure. It could be just a coincidence, after all, one of the familiars here had the runes similar to Mjöðvitnir, but it was really not the latter. It just had a similar pattern, that's all. It might be the same for Mipha," Colbert tried to shake Louise off her stupor. The pinkette could only nod. It was silent for a while, until the professor spoke to break it.

"Don't try to dwell into it too much, Vallière. There hasn't been a Void Mage for the past centuries, and certainly no wars that is bad enough to bring them out. Tristain is in a time of peace right now," the professor consoled the pinkette, as she'd felt a pat on her shoulder. She nodded to that again, before she closed her eyes. She was still panicking for the most part, but she calmed down for now.

 _He's right. All of these are only mere assumptions. Besides, Mipha is an elf, not a human. I should only take this with a "grain of salt" was it? Was that how the saying goes?_

Louise furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, as she'd tried to recall if what she said was right. Apparently, she had forgotten the other occupant in the room when she did this.

"Miss Vallière?"

Louise snapped out of her thoughts, and had the decency to look abashed.

"Ah, I'm sorry, professor. I was distracted for a bit."

Colbert nodded at that.

"I understand. It was quite a lot to take in. Anyway! Don't you have questions for your familiar?" he asked, creating a false cheery atmosphere which Louise appreciated. Honestly, it was no wonder why students liked him.

"Yes. I mean, not questions about my familiar in particular, but the whole familiar thing. I'm familiar with what familiars are, their importance, and the like, but I'm not sure to how it _works_."

"Ah yes, no one ever asks that question anymore. Very good, Miss Vallière, as expected of my hard working student," he said, sending the pinkette a smile. "Well, the Familiar system isn't exactly one for lessons, especially with its… darker workings. Are you sure that you want to hear about this?"

Louise nodded. She would need every advantage she would get right now, even no matter how underhanded it may be. Even though, her emotions said very differently. Colbert nodded at that, as he'd taken the book and placed it back in his bag.

"Okay. We already know what a familiar is, and what the summoner is, correct? Then, we'll skip into the contract. The familiar runes are the binders of the contract between the summoner and the familiar. Back then, they were engraved by hand, which meant that we are quite lucky today that we don't have to do something as gruesome as that."

Louise flinched at how the summoning was done before.

"They ensure absolutely fealty to the user. Usually, it is rather harmless, and that it only proves as a mark. However, in the more extreme cases, it overwrites the familiars' wills to make sure that the familiars will follow the summoners' every order."

By this point, Louise was horrified. The very idea of taking someone else's free will away was a crime punishable by a death sentence.

 _Wait, did that mean-_

All of a sudden, Mipha being an elf was less horrifying now.

"Ah- Princess Mipha."

Louise nodded, as the horrified expression never left her face. Colbert looked troubled by that, as he'd stared sadly at Louise.

"You don't need to be alarmed. These cases _only_ happened when the familiar would try to kill its summoner, and any familiar summoned should already be willing to accept its summoner as its master before its time of summoning. In Mipha's case, she seemed to already be prepared and accepted you wholly as its master before the runes even appeared. You have no need to worry about enslaving away Mipha's freedom, Vallière," Colbert comforted her, as he'd patted her shoulders firmly.

"I see. Is, is there a case where the familiar was able to kill its master?"

Colbert frowned at that, but nodded eventually.

"Yes. Sasha, the Founder's own _Elven Familiar,_ killed him."

It seemed like Louise wasn't going to get any of her panic down anytime soon.

* * *

 **Mipha**

Mipha thanked the maid as she'd received the pair of clothes that was handed to her. The maid smiled and nodded back before she left. Now, the redhead was left alone with her new pair of clothes. She had long stopped blushing now, and she honestly felt cold for not having worn any clothes for some time. Her hair was still wet, but it was more in the dry now.

 _It's strange to feel this uncomfortable._

She never once had trouble with clothes. It was optional for her, but now, she couldn't believe how it simply embarrassed her to only wear a towel above her frame. It came as a surprise to the Zora. Perhaps was her thinking affected by her transformation as well? That was the only explanation she could give. She stared at the clothes that was given to her, and she laid them out one by one on a nearby table.

It seemed to be the same clothes she saw Louise and the students wore. There were also smaller pairs of clothes. The redhead didn't know how to make of them. They were both the shade of pink, and were oddly shaped. One definitely seemed to be form fitting, and had one huge hole and two more holes on the bottom. It's an odd shape, something that Mipha could only describe as a half circle with two smaller circles cut out of it. The next pair of clothing that she was unaware of was this odd shaped skimpy clothes that the redhead could only compare to was what the Gerudos would call a "traditional Gerudo top". It didn't have its frills and extra cloth of course, it was of simpler design; perhaps way too simple, as it only seemed to be its "skeletal frame" or something.

It was at this point that the redhead was introduced to the whole new world of "underwear".

She frowned at the two articles of clothes she had never seen before her. How and where could she wear then? She distinctly could not remember these being on the female students of the school, and certainly not Louise. She had talked to her yesterday, and she hadn't seen _any_ of the pink clothes before her.

 _Perhaps this is worn underneath?_

She could idly recall Zelda lecture her before about how Hylian women would wear "underclothes" to protect themselves further from dust and other factors that could affect their private areas. Perhaps these were what the princess was talking about?

Mipha had no clue, but she decided to try it on. She deduced that the odd circle thing one was to be worn on the lower areas. The larger part was to cover her rear, and the smaller and weird t-shaped front was to cover her front. She wore it, and she was pleasantly satisfied when it fit her like a charm. She turned to the mirror to see how well it fit her.

She looked suitably indecent.

A warmth sensation found its way to her cheeks as she'd imagined if this is what she was to wear if she met Link again…

 _No! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, Mipha, bad girl, bad girl!_

She quickly mentally chided herself, and sent away her _risqué_ thoughts to the darkest corner of her mind. Though, she only imagined going as far as holding hands with Link.

Let it be known that Mipha is a pure, innocent, and good angel.

She then proceeded to wear the next mystery outfit, and found it extremely hard to put on. She had seen Urbosa put hers own once, and she used that as a reference to put the pink Gerudo-like top on. It had taken her some time, and she discovered that looking at the mirror was the easiest she could do. She felt the weird clasp like mechanism on her back _click_ and she let go of the top. She stared at the top she was wearing, and there was a long amount of silence from the redhead, both in thoughts, and in words.

Somehow, it felt like it annoyed her to know that the small sized top fit her chest perfectly.

She quickly moved on. She shouldn't entertain such dark emotions, it would be beneath her. She decided to wear the weird white top first. It was happily straight forward, as she slipped her arms into where the holes were, and inserted the odd circle shaped ones into the holes. The next article of clothing she went for was weird small dress like thing. She supposed it was to be worn on the bottom, since it looked vaguely similar to one of Zelda's dresses. She wore the clothing, but never really understood how it was to fit her. She just stared at the _skirt_ as it kept falling down whenever she tried to tighten it around her.

It took a while for her until she noticed this odd contraption on the side. The redhead couldn't quite describe it clearly. As she wore the skirt up again, she pulled the odd arrowhead-like knob on it. She was surprised to see that the skirt was slowly tightening around her waist as she'd watched as the odd white like teeth stick themselves together once the knob passed them.

It was a brilliant scene for Mipha as she'd nodded to herself.

 _I never knew my world had this amazing technology._

A rational part of her mind echoed. _No, princess this isn't our world._

 _Oh, that's right._

That immediately put Mipha into a sober mood as she'd went over to the last few articles of clothing. There were two black leg shaped clothes that had holes in them for the legs to fit through, a cloak, and a pair of shoes. Finally, these last two she was at the very least, vaguely familiar how to put them on. She went ahead to try them on, and once she was finished, she turned to herself at the mirror.

From her outfit, she looked very young. She could easily pass off as one of the students in school. However, there were a few things that didn't seem to fit her; like how her dress was dangerously short to show more of her thighs, and only vaguely covered the undercloth she was wearing to cover her nether regions. The white top she had on her didn't also seem to be the right fit as well, as it stopped just above the odd bar-like thing on the top of her half dress and showed a bit of her skin. Oddly enough, the sleeves were a fit though.

The redhead frowned at this. Did she look proper? The other students didn't certainly look like this. Well, there was nothing Mipha could do, she supposed. While exceptionally embarrassing, it was only temporary clothes until she went back to her shared room with her master, Louise.

The idea of having a master still felt odd for her, but at least she was alive again. She decided it was fine, so she went out of the baths and headed back to their room. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a quieter walk this time. There were no maids in the area. While Mipha usually welcomed silence like this, there was one teeny tiny little problem.

Where in Naryu's name was Louise's room?

* * *

 **Yes, we made two references in this story today. Kudos to those who got it ~Aria**

 **No, we would not bring other influences into this fic, as we could make the fanfiction over convoluted and painful to read if we did. - Crowe**

 **Was it exciting? Did you like it? Let us know!**

 **Signing off for now~**


	5. Familiar Arc - Raging Waters

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~!**

 **And we're back for a new chapter!**

 **Now, before anything else, this chapter gets very dark by the end of it, so we would like to warn everyone. This story has the genre hurt/comfort, and the rating M for a reason, but we would still like to put up this disclaimer in case.**

* * *

 ** _TRIGGER WARNINGS AHEAD_**

* * *

 **First of all, thank you for all the old and new peeps who followed and placed this story in their favourites! Thank you for choosing to follow this story, we hope we won't disappoint any of you!**

 **Now, for the review~**

 **digitalsalsa/deegeetal, thank you for your feedback! Indeed, we agree that the pacing was a little too slow in the last chapter. Don't worry though, it was all a sort of buffer for this one! We had it planned out for a bit, and we didn't want to rush things too much. In fact, we honestly think that this chapter rushed a bit of its character development, but we hope that our reasons why we did so can be justified later below this chapter! Thanks for letting us know the pacing was too slow though, and for seeing a potential in this! We're very happy to learn that this story has potential, take care as well!**

 **Ah, don't worry, we won't certainly change our chapters/this story to see fit with every advice we have. It's not like we won't take them, but we'll apply them on our _real fictional works_ instead on this one. This is, as you said, what we simply love writing. We already have the story planned out, and it won't change anytime soon! - Crowe.**

 **Remember, you have been warned. Now, without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Mipha**

A lone redhead sat in the middle of a grass clearing. A gentle breeze flowed through the grass surface, and her red hair swayed along its breeze. A gentle look rested upon her features while her yellow eyes seemed to glint with both life and dullness. Her trusted Lightscale Trident rested against her shoulder, as she'd leaned her head against it. She felt its familiar cold steel against her Hylian skin, and it sent her into a quick nostalgia trip. It was one in particular of how she'd gained her Lightscale Trident. Even when she was a Zora, she found the metal cold to touch.

Soft laughter escaped her cupid bow shaped lips as she'd recalled how she got it. It was rather anti-climactic, despite its dramatic reason of its creation. It was crafted to honour her birth by a Zora blacksmith named Dento. Once she had come of age, she finally received the trident from her father, who kept it for safekeeping until the time was right.

How she received it though was almost comedic. Her father had completely forgotten about the trident until Dento asked how it was doing. It was only then when King Dopheran remembered the trident, and immediately called for Mipha, and stated that it was an emergency. It was the first time the red head felt panicked as she'd rushed to the throne without stops.

It was no secret to the Zora: when it came to battle, they were severely lacking with the knowledge of war. Even the Hylians got them beat in that regard, and that didn't sit well with her mentor Muzu. So when Mipha was summoned under the pretense of emergency, she thought that they were under attack.

It was also the first time for the former Zora to throw a fit against her father, who took it in stride and laughed much to the princess' embarrassment.

After that embarrassing event, she immediately set out to learn from Seggin, who was readily happy to teach her. The redhead asked why he would do so eagerly, and only received his words: "just only order us, princess, and we shall provide". Obviously, Mipha immediately refuted that point, and told him that it's the people's choice to follow her.

It was her caring and loving personality that made the Zora love her after all.

Now, why was she reminiscing in the middle of the grass clearing in the academy? The answer was simple.

She was _bored_. It had been a few days since she was summoned, three to be exact, but during that time span, nothing of importance had ever happened.

 _In fact, it has been rather melancholic, hasn't it…?_

Now, Mipha was no Daruk who wanted to face a challenge every day, but she certainly wanted to keep herself entertained. Especially right now, she needed to be distracted from her losses. She could mingle with her fellow familiars, but she would just freeze in fear whenever she saw the dragon. In the end, she decided to avoid them, for the sake of her sanity. As if to make matters more unentertaining for her, Louise had oddly begun to distance herself from the redhead.

It was something that the redhead could not wrap her head around with. Did she do something wrong? She knew she was doing everything she could to be polite. Perhaps, was it how she used the foreign things around her? That shouldn't be the reason. She was well taught in various etiquettes, though it was a bit of a struggle for her to implement them.

 _But that would be no reason why she would look deathly scared whenever I tried to comfort her…_

There were times when Mipha would catch the pinkette staring at her with a bit of fright in her features. The redhead never really understood that, and it hurt her to know that her very master was a tiny bit afraid of her. She would approach the pinkette to ask what was wrong, and she either shrieked for a moment before she would say nothing was wrong, or she ran from her the moment she came close.

 _I never would've thought I'd scare her like that. Is this how my fellow Zora felt when a Hylian saw one of us?_

The redhead fell into contemplative thought once again. The princess knew that the misconception of Zora being terrifying beings came from the River Zora. It was those unruly creatures who attacked Hylians that brought shame to the Zora Race. The princess didn't know what to feel about them. On one hand, she knew that they turned into what they were because of the environment. It was the Hylians to blame after their waters were polluted.

On the other, they attacked races indiscriminately.

She wanted to love her people, she really did, and the River Zora were part of that. While they have certainly disappeared from view and records of them have faded for quite some time, she knew that they still existed. Where, she did not know.

 _But I'm not a River Zora right now. I don't look that horrible… right?_

The frequent scares she gave Louise took a massive blow on her insecurities. Now, it wasn't as if she developed them now. She had always felt these during her times with Princess Zelda, especially whenever she compared herself to her in terms of attractiveness in the eyes of a certain Hylian Knight. The constant alone time, despite her interactions with Siesta, had increased exponentially as well, since the pinkette wouldn't talk to her; even for a small chat. The princess wasn't taking it very well.

Brief flashes of the unspeakable horrors she fought and saw passed rapidly through her mind, as she'd felt her breathing turned ragged. She quickly calmed herself, and used her healing magic on herself to hasten the process. She reached her hand over where her heart was, and placed it on top to calm it down. A few deep breaths later, and she resumed her thoughts; eager to escape what just passed through in her mind.

She was certain that her looks weren't related to the reason why Louise had been avoiding her; if anything, her sudden increase of suitors during her first public day in school proved that. She was brought along by Louise into the lunch hall then, so every boy in school was able to see her.

 _The redhead cringed under the stares of the people around her. It was a mixed reception, she could tell. Some of the students were glaring daggers at her, while others were staring at her in awe. She couldn't understand either way, and she just desperately wanted to run out of the hall._

" _Uhm, Louise, why is everyone staring at me?" Mipha asked. Her voice was quivering, an obvious sign of her distress. She kept her stare at the dish before her, since she feared that the moment she would look up, she would be faced by a hundred spells or something of the like._

 _Now that she thought of it, she really hadn't ever seen magic being used. Perhaps with the exception of those odd elemental arrows being sold in the store, she never saw what magic could do._

 _She never noticed the pinkette beside her make a sour expression._

" _It's probably because a_ familiar _is sitting on a chair where a noble should sit."_

 _A dangerous edge in her voice could be heard, and it sent alarms in Mipha's head. The pinkette sounded distressed, alarmed even, and it worried the redhead._

" _Louise, is something wrong?" she asked. Her soft voice seemed to be out of place on the loud halls, where various sounds of talks and laughter could be heard. It was silent, and when the redhead raised her head to look at Louise, the pinkette immediately turned away._

" _I-it's nothing. I just didn't get enough sleep, that's all!" The pinkette's voice cracked as she spoke, as her voice reached a higher octave than she could've possibly achieved._

 _The scene she was watching was painfully familiar to her, as a wave of déjà vu seemed to hit her. Something's wrong, Mipha thought, but she dropped the subject. She had first-hand experience that if someone didn't want to tell what was wrong, they wouldn't budge._

" _Okay, but if there's something wrong, please do tell me, okay? I will protect you," she said sadly. It was the same thing she told_ Link _before, and it still struck a thorn in her to repeat the words she said for him to someone completely different. In the end, he never really told her what was wrong. A solemn expression took her features, as her yellow eyes dulled slightly despite the light in the room. She didn't notice the pinkette who stared at her wide eyed in surprise as she'd glanced down at the silverware before her._

 _Well, at least the silverware here is completely similar to the one back at Hyrule, she dryly thought._

There was also that one persistent blond boy who was spouting dramatic lines from plays that Mipha had read about in her spare time. He was the most troublesome to deal with, and her first _proper_ meeting with him cemented that fact.

" _Ah, dear red rose in a bountiful flower garden, your beauty causes my heart to be drawn to thee! Please, accept this gift of mine, which is simply a small fraction of my undying love for you!"_

 _The redhead blinked, and stared at the boy with confusion. She just continued to stare at the boy, who was holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms until the words finally clicked in her mind. A deep flush found its way to her cheeks as she'd felt greatly embarrassed from the spectacle before her. She remembered this blond, the one who yelled at her with the language that she could not speak until that professor finally used a "translation spell" on her. Why was he courting her now like this?_

 _It seemed like the boy took her reaction wrongly, as a wide smile appeared on his lips._

" _Ah, I see, truly, you are embarrassed! But do not worry, for I, Guiche de Gramont, would cause those discomfort away with a flick of my elegance," he said as he'd flicked his rose._

 _You're the one who's causing me my distress though, the redhead dryly thought._

 _A few seconds later, a sudden light enveloped the redhead, who panicked and quickly jumped away from the blond. It was comical to watch. The blond had a stupefied expression on his face, one that was mirrored by a few males. Meanwhile, Mipha was visibly clutching her trident, and her figure was positioned in a way she was ready to defend herself._

 _Like a cat._

" _A-ah, there's nothing to be afraid of, dear commoner! I'm merely showing you my love, could you not feel it?"_

 _Shivers went down Mipha's spine when she heard that. Were suitors really this scary? She had once taken her time to talk with her fellow Zora, who complained about overbearing suitors. Was this karma of her not being able to understand what they were going through?_

" _A-ah, thank you, but-"_

" _No buts, my dear. Now, I would graciously allow you, dear commoner, to accompany me, the brilliant Guiche, to a dinner tonight!"_

 _It was silent, before an amount of both cheers and arguments could be heard from the crowd. Mipha only did the most rational decision in that point._

 _She ran until and hid in the bath until night._

It had embarrassed her greatly, and she wanted to crawl into a hole each time her suitors rushed her like moths to a flame. She was fortunate that they had classes in the mornings, so it gave her a breather. Unfortunately for her, she had never learned the etiquette how to turn down suitors. It just never happened over at her domain, and Zora Princesses chose their husbands.

So when faced with these foreign affections, Mipha could only do one thing: run. To the audience's eyes, it was hilarious. She had particularly gotten this intel from Siesta, who commented that it was amusing to see her run from what's practically an army of male young men who aspired to be her lover. Though, as amusing it was, it also ticked off a lot of the female students.

 _Miss Mipha, I would suggest that you should just tell them that you're not interested, but a-ah, it's not like I'm telling you to do it! It's just a suggestion!_

A frown found its way to Mipha's lips as she'd recalled the maid's suggestion. The question was how exactly would she tell them that she wasn't interested without potentially causing heartbreak?

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, and decided to think about that later. It wouldn't do well for her to spend the fourth morning of her life in this world by meditating over useless thoughts. Problems would solve themselves overtime, but, of course, it didn't mean that Mipha wasn't going to do anything. For Louise's case, she would still keep trying to comfort the pinkette, even though it just made it worse every time.

For her suitors' case, perhaps she would pick a better time when to deal with them. She wasn't an expert with that after all.

It wasn't like she was scared of them or anything.

She stood up and stretched her limbs. She gave her trident a few test swings, before she abruptly stopped as she'd slammed the blunt end of the trident on the ground. She had worked on her spearmanship yesterday. While there was no problem with working on it once again, she simply wished to do something else. She thought for a while, and placed her fingers on her chin as she'd sent herself deep in thought.

 _Perhaps I should give this 'Magic' thing a try._

When she was being reincarnated, she had the odd feeling that she was oddly capable of manipulating the water to some extent. She never really gave this thought any further thought, especially since she was more focused on what her tasks were. That was until her recent visit to the library, thanks to the sudden amount of free time on her hands. She had read some of the books in the library yesterday to alleviate her boredom, and at least learned the culture of the place she was in. Apparently, the town was called Tristain. While she was at it, she also read a few books about magic.

While Louise had already explained to her that magic existed because of this "Founder" figure, the pinkette didn't really describe it any further than "magic is a gift to us". Mipha would've asked her to clarify further, but the redhead was tired after the events.

She was excited to try it out.

Back in Hyrule, she was only vaguely aware of people who were capable of using magic, and the topic of magic. It wasn't a practiced arts after all, and it was knowledge nearly lost to time. It was something about how the races unanimously agreed to avoid learning these arts as they could lead to disastrous consequences if they were to land in the wrong hands. There were written records of those happening after all. It wouldn't be wise to repeat them.

However, Mipha wasn't in Hyrule, which meant she could use magic to her fullest potential. She was already aware that she was able to use magic, her healing powers made it obvious after all. She tried to apply this magic in other ways, and strengthening her electric resistance was one of them. However, since she didn't have a teacher that guided her how to do so, she ended up failing. None of the other Zora in the domain had latent magical abilities like hers, so she was all on her own.

Now, though, she had books to guide her.

"It was rather unfortunate that I could not borrow the books from the library, but I believe in my abilities to remember what I've read!" Mipha hyped herself up quietly. It was rather straightforward. From what she read, a mage's rank was based on how many elements they were capable of using. A dot mage used one element, a line mage used two elements, a triangle used three elements, and the list went on. The highest rank was the rumoured Hexagonal Rank, but it was a baseless rumour. If Mipha were to guess, she supposed she was just a dot mage. She could hardly imagine she would be able to control the winds, fires, and earth. For the last two elements, Mipha had no clue what they were. They weren't written in any of the books she read.

Then, there was Willpower. It was what Mipha would call "Mana" back in her own world. Willpower was consumed to empower the spells. How exactly, Mipha couldn't understand. The books wrote it off that it was as simple as what was written.

If it were truly that simple, then Mipha would've had no problem with raising her electric resistance.

"Wait, I'm forgetting something…"

Mipha tilted her head; her eyes closed, and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her eyes snapped open after, realization present in her eyes. The dullness in them was no longer there, now that her boredom was satiated.

"A Magic Focus!"

A magic focus was an item, commonly a wand, which people used to cast their spells. It served as the mediator between drawing out the Willpower inside a mage, and realizing the spell into reality.

According to one spell theory she read, casting magic was the realization of a phenomenon. The user should have the clear conditions of what she needed to create in her mind, and these conditions should be present in her surroundings. Then, the user must chant the spell using the words of power. This way, the user could _order_ the surroundings to do what he/she wished to happen. Focus from the user was greatly needed, and there should be no unnecessary movements.

Otherwise, the spell would end in a failure, and simply drain away the needed Willpower of the spell.

It was a spell theory that Mipha felt conflicted with. Surely, it was the same principle as her healing abilities, her Grace as Muzu called it, but there was something fundamentally different with it. She didn't need the magic focus, conditions, and the so-called "words of power" to be there in order to operate her magic. While surely the conditions were needed so that her magic could _do_ something, but it wasn't as if her magic was purely based on the conditions to activate.

It was similar to the case of the shield of Daruk, and the lightning Urbosa was capable of calling down with a snap of her fingers. They didn't need any conditions to fulfil; they could summon and use their abilities anytime they've wanted. Though, now that Mipha thought of it, she wasn't sure if what they could do could be categorized as "magic".

Her comparisons led her to reading more spell theories, and realized that they were the same fundamentally. Magic could only be created if the conditions were met, magic could only be used if the words of power were chanted. A headache formed inside the redhead's head as she'd tried to wrap her head around it.

Was that truly how her magic should've worked? If she were to use these words of power, would that significantly increase her magic?

She gave a deeper thought into it, before she shook her head. There would be no difference. In fact, she would find the chanting distracting, and would take longer than it should. From the time period she was chanting to activate her magic, she could've used that time to rush into the enemy's defences and broke into their formations. Not to mention, she would be extremely vulnerable if she just stood and chanted. She didn't like the idea of that.

So, Mipha had a breakthrough. What if she would just directly control the flow of the conditions, rather than she would imagine it, word it to reality, and wait for it to conjure? It was similar to how she would directly control her healing powers, and it worked for her.

 _Strange. So this is what the princess felt when she was researching Sheikah Technology. It feels satisfying._

A fond smile found its way to her lips. No wonder why her princess was so indulged in her researches. To find something wrong and to develop a solution or conclusion was a satisfying experience. She continued her line of thought, her eyebrows furrowed once again in concentration. She recalled the elements, and the conditions that were needed to use them.

 _Fire needs heat and air, Wind needs a wide area, earth needs solid mass, and water needs a liquid base._

Her eyes narrowed. The last part didn't add up. From what she learned from Muzu, and her own personal researches, water wasn't just in its base form of liquid. There was also ice, where water was frozen in colder temperatures. Then there was also "water gases" that was created if water was under hot enough temperatures, that it would turn into "gas". Evidence of this could be seen through the clouds on the sky, and the mists and fogs that would happen once there was a sudden drop in temperature. These were facts she learned from Zelda, who had been kindly enough to provide her with more knowledge than she could've ever hoped for.

In a sense, water was similar to air. When Mipha asked the princess how she was sure of these things she spoke of, she groaned in half frustration and half resignation, and replied she wanted to know as well. Apparently, the sources she got her information from were all chalked off to "Sheikah Technology", and from how lost the Sheikah knowledge and technology were, it was truly impossible to determine if what they'd said were true or not.

However even then and despite the impossibility of the task, the two promised each other that they would find a way to prove the "water gas" theory.

Still, the Divine Beasts were also created with unknown technology, and only powered by what was called a "Blue Flame". So, Mipha easily believed that water was in more than a state of liquid. It also made sense how Zora were able to live above water until they needed to sink in it again.

 _So why does water need a liquid base?_

Mipha noted that perhaps the world she was in didn't progress enough with what Zelda called as "science". It was at this point that Mipha realized- she had the ample opportunity to test out if mists were truly made from water.

She hastily looked around, and wondered if there was anyone around her. Once she confirmed there was no one in the vicinity, she nodded and moved into a secluded spot. It was a blind spot she found where there were no windows that could see what she was doing, and it was far from any entrances and doors. In a sense, it was an oddly closed off location in the academy, yet it was so open.

She closed her eyes. There was no harm in trying, as she'd deeply dived inside her soul; in the process, her senses dulled. There was nothing she could see, hear, and smell. Any normal people would've been frightened of this experience. There was just this nothingness, a void that one could not perceive. It was hard to describe, even Mipha had difficulty putting it into words.

However, this experience didn't bother her. It was a similar process to how she unlocked her healing powers, though she had done so by accident. She was just swimming along the falls near the domain when suddenly blacked out and ended up in this state.

The first time was extremely frightening to her.

She had told her father and mentor about her experience, and they encouraged her to continue once they discovered that whatever happened to her gave her healing powers. After that, she willingly meditated for a few more times to access more and more of her power inside her, which led to her latent ability to heal others, and possess magic.

Then, she was enveloped by warmth. It wasn't warmth that a blanket could provide, but one that waters could. It felt fresh and warm as she felt it crash against her skin. Her vision seemed to be blanketed by a warm green light, before it vanished just as fast as it came. The waters soon calmed down, and bluish dim light crept its way on the darkness of her closed eyes.

 _This... is new._

Her _spiritual_ eyes opened, and she beheld the sight of a blue glowing ocean. She gasped, as she'd stared deeply into the depths. She could feel the power that oozed from it, the sheer pressure that she was feeling. If she were to compare it, it was similar to how she first met Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

However, the similarities didn't end there.

The waters suddenly moved, and she swore she heard a loud _trumpeting_ that seemed to echo in the endless chasm of her spirit. The waves crashed against her body, and she was hit with the familiar feeling of gentle warmth that caressed her skin. It was so familiar, that Mipha immediately knew what it was.

"Vah Ruta?" she called out, her voice cracked as she spoke. It was silent for a while, as the waters calmed down once again, and the only indication of a response were the waters glowing brighter for a second before it resumed its normal glow. A smile found its way to her lips, and unshed tears formed on the edges of her eyes. Her surroundings blurred, and everything around her slowly faded to black.

Mipha's sensations returned to her, and she felt _powerful_. For some reason, she could _feel_ every sensation around her as if she had tendrils that stretched for miles. She couldn't understand how and why she suddenly felt like this.

 _There's water in the air around us, Mipha. Perhaps, even more than we realize._

Zelda's voice echoed in her mind. Her gasp was the only indicator that her mind had reached a realization. She'd focused on the voice, and felt a sad pang of nostalgia hit her in waves.

 _Although, they're not in the form of liquid that we are familiar of. Instead, they are in the form of "gases". Think of them as really tiny water droplets that could not be seen by the human eye._

She felt a pull in her chest, something that signified that what she was doing, she was doing it right. The power she felt from her spiritual dive from earlier flowed through her veins, and she felt it escaping her body.

 _If water could be turned into ice if it was in colder temperatures in liquid form, then what would it mean if these water 'gases' around us was in colder temperatures? They would create clouds._

She felt the gases around her _sing_ , and her powers strengthen. More was being pumped out of her body, as sweat dripped down the sides of her temples from her concentration.

 _If ice were to be in warm temperatures, it would melt back into liquid… So what would happen if the water 'gases' in a warm temperature were to be suddenly placed in a colder temperature?_

"Then, it would create mists, princess," Mipha answered, a soft sad smile etched her lips. She felt an abrupt change of temperature, as her power had suddenly sucked itself back into her body. It was _cold_. Her eyes snapped open, and she gaped at the white blanket that covered her surroundings. It was official, and Mipha jumped and cheered in joy for the first time in the few days she'd been summoned.

She could use _magic_.

* * *

 **Louise**

On a lone bed in the middle of the night, a pink haired lady sat up. Her hair was a mess, and the bags under her eyes told the story of unrest. She hadn't been able to have a proper sleep for the past few days, but no one could blame her.

It had been six days since the summoning, and the pinkette was _worried_ for the noble. She had decided that Mipha wasn't a princess. " _Maybe it was just a cover-up story"_ was what she thought.

For the first four days, she was wary of the redhead. When she discovered that Mipha was truly an elf, she wanted to keep her distance in the case the redhead were to suddenly decide to kill her. Colbert's confirmation of familiars being able to kill their masters hadn't particularly helped with her dilemma. In fact, it just made her anxiety worse.

While she had the whole familiar runes thing to fell back to, it didn't feel right to just command a _being_ out of their free will- elven or not.

So, she had spent those four days by distancing herself from the redhead, who had a mixed expression of hurt and concern. It honestly hurt Louise to see the noble stare at her like that, that it made the pinkette doubt her decision if it was truly the right idea to stay away as much as possible from her. After all, the redhead had been nothing but nice to her despite all of her wrongdoings. She had abstained from any social talks with the redhead, which she knew hurt her. She had pretty much kept the noble as some sort of pet, only one she would approach whenever she needed to bring her for lunch, dinner, or the baths as the redhead was still new to the academy.

As socially awkward as she knew Mipha could be, she knew that she _yearned_ companionship, and she just refused that. She tried to shrug the feeling off multiple times, but the sight always wretched her heart. It felt really bad for the pinkette, which eventually led for her to notice more things about her summoned elf as if the world was punishing her for treating the noble like she was nothing.

At times during the first three days she distanced herself from the noble, Mipha would just stare into the horizon, and wore an impassive mask. Her eyes would be dulled, devoid of life, and her posture gestured defeat and resignation. She saw this the most while they were in their room, where it was silent and Louise would pretend she was too engrossed in her book that she wasn't able to talk. She would glance to the side, and Mipha who would be sat at the side of a window and just stare outside.

The sheer melancholy the redhead emitted affected Louise easily. It was one that shocked the pinkette to see, as she never would have thought that such a gesture would come from an obviously accomplished noble before her.

It was on the second day she started ignoring Mipha that she had confided this with her professor, Colbert. When he saw the genuine worry in the eyes of the pinkette, he immediately agreed to watch Mipha for a day and see if there were any irregularities with her. It was a particularly anxious day for Louise, since there was a chance that Colbert could accidentally discover that Mipha was, in fact, an elf. When they met up after the day ended, the results were… less than satisfactory.

" _She has seen_ war _, Vallière."_

 _The pinkette blinked at that, as she'd stared at the professor before her with a confused expression. What did he mean that Mipha has seen war? She didn't look like she had any scars at all, and she looked frail! If anything, she looked too weak and was too_ kind _to be involved in any war!_

" _What do you mean by that professor? That doesn't make any sense at all!" the pinkette snapped. The professor only frowned grimly at this, and shook his head._

" _Vallière, there are simply things that could not be told by just looking at a person. There's a chance that her kind character is an act to hide the pain after going through one."_

 _When Louise stared at the professor, she suddenly saw him looking oddly melancholic despite it being his main expression. Louise never really paid any heed to it, but now, that she looked closer, it disturbed her. There was too much melancholy on the professor's face, and she'd rather much preferred the happy and somewhat insane one. "Strange, his features looked exactly like hers'." Louise thought, as it trailed off._

" _I don't know what she's been through, but, Louise, please keep her company. She seemed lonely and yearning for something," the professor said, and the flash of pain in his eyes didn't escape Louise's sight. She bit the insides of her cheeks, and slowly nodded. The fact that Colbert used her given name and not her family name was a big indicator that this was a delicate issue._

" _Yes, I will," Louise lied through her teeth._

Now that she knew the reason why Mipha had said posture, guilt ate away at her heart, and the pain Louise felt wasn't comparable to anything else she had ever felt. It was as if there was constant nagging on the back of her head, a person who held her heart as hostage. Every time she would see the red head at that state, she just wanted to walk over and talk to her despite her race.

It was only her logical side and pride that prevented her from doing so. All things aside, she was still an elf. They could be manipulative, extremely so that they could kill whoever stood in their way without even the victim and the surrounding people knowing. She had to be cautious when dealing with them, and since this was a plan she created, she would see through it to the end.

Such is the promise of a noble.

Besides, the pinkette knew that these precautions were the best. If her mother knew that she were killed by an elf in this academy, Tristain's name would be ruined, and that, in turn, would ruin relations and make it harder for her… friend, the Crown Princess of Tristain.

 _This is for the best. This is for the best._

That was the mantra she commonly chanted in her head nowadays, instead of her usual "Rule of Steel". Though, rather than confirming the plan and deciding what to do further, it only served to temporarily seal the emotions she was feeling. She was more convincing herself than anything.

She had once heard of her mother speak of a moral problem that was similar to this. In fact, it was a problem that she presented to her when she was about to embark for the academy.

 _There were two roads, and one rampaging war chariot. There were three people on one side of the road, and a person on the other. There was a bystander, and only the bystander could redirect the chariot's attention, but they could only redirect it to one road. The bystander was also a commoner, which meant magic wasn't possible. It became a question of who to save._

 _Would the bystander choose to save the one person, or would the bystander to choose the third?_

 _It was a problem Louise had difficulty solving. So much so that she wanted to tear her hair out, and shout in frustration. Obviously she wanted to answer that she would save both of them, but her mother quickly ruled that possibility out and reprimanded her, telling her she only had two choices. When they'd reached the academy, Louise never gave out an answer._

 _Her moral compass refused to answer the question, as it was too immoral for her to answer. Apparently, her mother expected this when she snorted, and reprimanded Louise again._

" _You're so naive, Louise. Honestly, how could've I raised such a simple daughter?"_

 _The scolding hurt Louise where it stung. She knew that she was somewhat indecisive, and she had rarely reached her mother's expectations. Out of everyone in the family, she was the black sheep per se. As a result, she tried to imitate her mother as much as she could. She adapted her Rule of Steel, some of her actions and a bit of her spitfire whenever she and Zerbst came into verbal blows._

 _She remembered asking her mother the same question, and she answered the three people with finality. It shocked Louise that her mother easily answered her question, and her mother explained her reasoning._

" _You will gain nothing if you have only saved one person. If you saved three, not only have you saved more people, but also the grand majority as well."_

 _There was something flawed in her mother's philosophy, one that she wanted to point out, but she knew that the moment she did, she would be punished. So, she quietly nodded her head, and took the lesson in mind, but never in heart. It was too dark of a problem for her, and she hoped she would never have to answer the question._

Unfortunately, it seemed like she just did.

In this case, Mipha was the one person, and the Crown Princess was the three people. If Louise were to choose Mipha, it would mean endangering the entire Tristain, and potentially cause a war with the elves if she handled it ungracefully. If their secret were to be found out, not only would she be branded a traitor, but also a heretic for hiding an elf.

It was the reason why she chose the Crown Princess. By siding with the Crown Princess and treating Mipha like she was a pet, she would be able to save the entirety of Tristain from war. She could order Mipha to kill herself at any moment's notice, and she would be able to retain her pride as a noble. She could be used as a bargaining chip, and be returned to the elves the moment Louise found the opportunity to do so. There would be little to no ties there could be with Louise, and that only the academy, Mipha, and Louise would know.

The pinkette could always make up some lie about her familiar dying in battle with the elves.

It was a cold explanation, even for Louise, but it wasn't like she had any other choice. The very lives of the people of Tristain were in her hands, and it was too much of a burden she could bear. Tears trailed off her eyes, as her lips formed itself into a snarl. She wanted to cry and wail so hard, but she just couldn't allow herself to do so. The walls were thin, so anyone would find out that Louise cried. She wasn't capable of setting up a soundproof barrier, which was the first task designated to all newcomers.

Obviously, she was the only one who doesn't have one.

She hurriedly wiped off the tears on her eyes, as she'd tried to swallow the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her. The heavy feeling in her chest was simply incomparable. Her sleep deprivation doubled in this factor of her being unable to control her emotions, as her emotional state was simply too much.

She couldn't hold it in anymore, as the pinkette cried silently in her lonely room. An idle thought in her head scolded her.

 _If you didn't distance yourself from Mipha, you wouldn't be dealing with this._

Louise knew that, despite it all, it was also true. Mipha was truly caring, and her persistent inquiries about the pinkette's health proved that. She had never once left her, and would often watch from the side to see if her master was alright.

Which lead to her current problem, and why she was becoming increasingly worried about the red head.

In the room, the red head elven noble was nowhere to be found.

 _It began on the fourth night. The pinkette heard the shuffling of feet around her in the middle of the night. She panicked, and thought that it was the time that Mipha was going to kill her, so she held her wand close. She kept her wand in her hands. Underneath the covers, she couldn't really see how tightly she gripped the wand, which caused some of the blood to leave her fingers. She stayed in that position for a while, and pretended to be asleep in order not to cause suspicion._

" _What was that spell for fireball again, was it ley, an, lah? No, no, that's different! Wait, won't my explosions do the trick? Well, maybe they would, but this is an elf, she must have something up her sleeve" was Louise's thoughts of the situation._

 _She waited just like that, and every silence unnerved her. She continued waiting, for the next few seconds she heard the shuffling approach her bed. It was at this point that her breathing hitched, and she was absolutely sure that she would lose it and throw an explosion. She managed to hold herself down, despite herself, and calmly decided to wait. It was a while, and she heard the shuffling go farther from her. She heard her door opening and closing._

 _It was at that point that Louise quickly sat up, completely drenched in cold sweat. She looked around the room frantically to see if there were any changes. She quickly noted that the noble's trident was still there, the ornaments, and her trademark pure white dress and blue sash. She sighed in relief from both being alive, and that Mipha hadn't decided to leave her._

 _Still, it made the pinkette curious, despite her fear of the elf. Why did Mipha leave so late at night? She debated about following her, but quickly denied that possibility. She would just get herself killed, so she quickly lied back down and pretended to fall asleep. She didn't know how long she had to wait, as she could already see the break of dawn on the horizon when she heard the door open, and the shuffling of footsteps entered the room. Once the door closed, Louise once again mentally prepared herself._

 _For an attack that never came._

 _She only heard the distant noise of someone dropping on a bed unceremoniously. She opened her eyes at that, and saw the noble who was soundly asleep already without even covering herself with her blankets._

That wasn't the only night she walked out of the room; that much Louise knew. She had done so yesterday night, and tonight as well. The curiosity of finding out what the elf was doing in the middle of the night killed her, and it didn't make it easier for her that the noble had practically stopped attending breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She barely saw the noble at the mornings and the afternoons, and they would only meet each other by night time. The noble would look so tired by then, and could even barely muster up the strength to talk.

She would just nod and shake her head at Louise's inquiries, and this worried Louise. While she certainly wanted to have as little connections with Mipha as possible, she didn't want her to starve herself, and, apparently, deprive herself from rest. She remembered Colbert's words that rang in her head, and that's when Louise realized that she might have made a mistake.

Mipha wanted companionship.

Slowly, Louise began to connect the dots together. Mipha's recent night activities, her loss of appetite, and even the redhead's loss of speech led to one obvious conclusion. It was the conclusion that her conscience was nagging her about, the one that she feared the most.

Louise had done Mipha wrong.

 _No, it wasn't wrong, I was only doing what was the best possible solution here, one that my mother would be proud of!_

What Louise did to Mipha was the same to what her classmates did to her. She was no different than the monsters that lurked in human skin, the monsters that plagued her every day for the past years.

Louise had done Mipha wrong.

 _No, I wasn't wrong, I wasn't wrong, I wasn't wrong! I-I-_

Snap.

Her guilt came back twice as strong this time, as she'd bit down her bile, but never got to stop herself from lashing out. "Fireball!" she shouted and quickly waved her wand at her wardrobe, which was fortunately enchanted by the headmaster, so it wouldn't need to undergo serious repairs anymore. The loud explosion rang in her room, but was never heard by the rooms around her. Her room was near the top floor of the building, so the best it could do was slightly bother the commoners who slept on the lowest floors.

Once the dust settled, a visibly red eyed pinkette with a fearful, guilty, and angry expression all jam packed into one. Not only did she feel those emotions, she also felt another. One that she never would've thought in her entire life she would ever feel towards herself.

Disgust.

She was extremely disgusted herself, as she tore down her own plans and logic that she had formed in her mind- all the while casting more "fireballs" that were beginning to have a toll on the enchantment on her wardrobe. As she'd vented all of her emotions, each chant she shouted out only served to fuel her explosions as they became more destructive than the former. Her voice cracked with each one, and more tears ran down her face.

To hell with her plans, she had done a sinful act that she cannot repent for. Mipha was sweet, kind, and caring to her, the very first person to act like that to her ever since she entered the academy. She was the only one who ever approached her like that, even though it was just their first meeting. Even though they never got to progress their relationship as master and familiar any further than that, it was the most _love_ she ever felt from another person. What did she do in return?

She returned Mipha's selfless love and care with _fear_.

She hadn't really realized that she was beginning to bypass the soundproof barriers, since she was lost in her mindless rage. Every spell she released was more powerful than before, and the very building she was on shook under Louise's unbridled rage. She could idly hear screams of horror from the distance, but Louise did not care.

She deserved to be kicked out.

"Fireba-!" her incantation was cut short when she felt someone hug her. Anger spread through her mind, as she'd fought under the person's grip. "Get off me, get off me! Let me vent, I deserve this, I deserve to make a fool of myself! I'm nothing but a zero!"

"Louise, please, stop!"

The voice caused her thoughts to come to a halt. She recognized that voice, but she just couldn't seem to place it down. It was familiar, very intimately so, and the softness and caring in it couldn't be misplaced. She could smell the person's scent, the oddly floral smell that came off her that fit well with her elegance. Her eyes trailed down, and she could make out the mix of red and white hair that could only belong to one person.

Mipha.

"Let… me go," Louise said weakly, as she'd tried to push the red head away. In return, the red head only pulled her tighter.

"No, I won't let you go. It's obvious something is wrong, please, just tell me. What's wrong?" the noble asked. Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Louise could vaguely feel water that hit the back of her head.

 _Wait… water?_

Now that she listened closely, she could hear the noble's ragged breathes. She was inhaling in a weird fashion, as if she was _crying_. Tears that had been running down her eyes only doubled as her fingers curled in and dug into her skin.

"Why, why are you crying?"

It was silent for a while, as she'd felt the red head hug her even tighter.

"What reason should I have to not weep for you? When I've heard your screams, your shouts of 'fireball', how could I not weep from the sheer _pain_ from your voice?" the redhead answered, whose voice was so painstakingly clear with _pain_ that Louise felt she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve every tear this wonderful woman shed for her.

She had truly done Mipha wrong.

It was at this point that Louise lost all sense of speech. She had immediately hugged the red head in a tight embrace and finally let out the loudest wail she'd ever had in her life. Her throat hurt with her loud cries, but she didn't care. She clung into Mipha like she was her final last hope, her fingers grabbing the back of Mipha's cloth who hugged back just as fiercely.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I treated you wrong, I'm sorry!" Louise yelled out as she dug her face deeper into Mipha's chest. The redhead only hummed in response, and softly caressed her head to comfort her. It was an action that made the pinkette only cry harder, since it only made her remember Cattleya. It was her elder sister who did something like this for her.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay," the red head spoke as she'd continued to caress the pinkette's head, and back. "I'm here now, Louise, I'm here. Just let it out. We'll stay like this until you feel better, okay?"

At some corner of her mind, Louise noted the oddly heartbroken tone that the red head had in her voice. The pinkette only nodded, as she'd continued to cry. The wailings and the crying from Louise never stopped for a few hours. She just continued to let tear after tear spill out, all the emotions she had been holding back since the beginning of the bullying she had received since the first year.

When it was over, Louise stayed in her hugging position with the red head.

"What… just happened here?" She froze when she heard the voice. It was one that she knew very well, of course, it was the one who made it a mission to make her life hell.

Kirche von Zerbst.

But what made her freeze wasn't because of her voice, but because of the genuine _worry_ she heard from the Germanian's tone.

Or it might just be her mind playing tricks on her. By this point, Louise didn't know which to believe in her mind.

"She had a night terror, and she was in need. She seemed to have fallen asleep now. Please, would you kindly tell your teachers that she won't be able to attend class today?" she asked, no _pleaded,_ the Zerbst. The Germanian's response surprised her.

"… Sure, we will. Take care of Louise, okay? We… never heard anything like this before."

The faint sound of the door closing could be heard, and the room was silent after that.

"Louise, you should get some rest today."

Though, there was one thing for sure that the pinkette could believe in right now.

 _No, don't be fooled, she will only use this opportunity to kill you! Keep yourself awake, don't be-_

That thought was snuffed out by Louise herself, as she began to close her heavy eyelids.

"Don't worry, I won't leave your side today. I'll take care of you."

Mipha was truly a kind, caring person.

"…Link."

The pinkette never really heard that, as she'd already fallen asleep.

* * *

 **"We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be."**

 **― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind**

 **This chapter is somehow influenced by this quote here. The reason why this chapter had Louise breaking down immediately just right after six days of summoning Mipha was because of all the constant pressure she had on herself.**

 **While she certainly did summon Mipha, which proved her worth as a mage, that only served to take off _one_ problem off her shoulders. She still hadn't casted any successful spell yet. This meant that she was still a _zero_. While we, the readers, already know that Louise was no zero, we have to put ourselves in her shoes for this story.**

 **This is our take of Familiar of Zero, where we write how we think how _incredibly severe_ Louise's problem is. We also wanted to make this clear now, so we won't need to post this later on in the chapters as a respond to the reviews. It's not a topic we'd like to talk about at all.**

* * *

 _ **TRIGGER WARNINGS AHEAD**_

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 **Louise is still a teenager, roughly the age of 16 to 17. It is during this stage of teenage years when teenagers are the most pressured, both from their life choices, their outlook in life, and how they perceived things. They would be hard pressed to find their roles in society by this point, as pointed out by Erikson in his Identity vs Role Confusion.**

 **Unfortunately, with Louise's experiences in her academy, with all of her bullying, the pressures of her needing to do better, the rule of steel that she copied from her mother, and her difficult upbringing landed Louise right into Role Confusion. Instead of being confident, she ended up associating herself with her mom's philosophical view, and saw her as a role model to last her through her years in the academy.** **Also, it's at this period where she would be more concerned with moral reasoning, hence her _huge_ conflict between her ideals, and her emotions for the past 2 chapters.**

 **Her confidence is a false facade that she made for herself, that even we could see even in the anime.**

 **The first one that we were showed to was her recalling her words of what she said to Zerbst about how she would summon the greatest familiar, which is immediately followed by her _begging_ that she would summon the best familiar. When she obviously summoned the best familiar, she immediately nursed Saito into health when he'd fallen asleep, going as far as buying the expensive elixir just to keep him alive. Here is what we can see her trying to prevent the sense of loss she would feel once she loses Saito.**

 **Though, that eventually changed by Fouquet's arc.**

 **Now, that was everything before she met Mipha in this story. The moment she met Mipha, she got her hands with what could be a nuclear bomb. One small misstep she would make, and it would all be over for her _._ As much as convincing it would need, we doubt that the Tristainians would simply accept Mipha in, until she proved herself. Even then, it would be a lot of convincing.**

 **Tiffania is a completely different story.**

 **Anyways, that's everything we have to say when it comes to Louise's breakdown in this chapter. Don't worry though! With Mipha's help, she will throw Louise right back into Identity, though it will take some time.**

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 **Anyways, how was the chapter? Was it disheartening? Was it enlightening? Did it make you cry? Let us know!**


	6. Familiar Arc - Tides of Waters

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~!**

 **We're back for a new chapter!**

 **First of all, we would like to apologize to our readers, who have been triggered by some of our past chapters without the trigger warning labels. We would keep that in mind, and proceed to place trigger warning labels on chapters that could potentially cause a trigger.**

 **We're sorry, and we'll make sure it won't happen again.** **Unfortunately, that may mean every chapter will have said labels.**

 **However, this won't mean we won't stop making chapters like this. This story is M-Rated for a reason, and we will stick to that.**

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 ** _Trigger Warnings Ahead_**

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 **Next, we would like to thank the new followers, and the people who have placed this story to their favourites! Welcome to the story, and hopefully it would keep all of you entertained~ Thank you once again!**

 **Now, for the reviews~**

 **verifiaman, thank you for continuing to follow the story! As much as we want this story to be pre-written, unfortunately it is not! We have planned this story ahead of time, and we have already plotted out how the story would flow, the interactions with each character, how one another would develop, etc. To be precise, Aria dictates the flow of the emotions in the chapter, as well as how the dialogue between characters would work out. Crowe would fill up the details of the story in between!**

 **sephchipmunk, ah, Siesta's in this chapter, don't worry! You'll be seeing a lot more of her soon, she's _very_ important in this story after all.**

 **ultima-owner, thanks for the feedback! And yes, indeed that is truly the case with the trolley problem, we're glad you have spotted that. That was why we didn't have Louise answer the question at all- it signifies that despite everything and how controlled she was being by the Rule of Steel, there is still the slimmer of hope that could allow her to break out. However, that all now depends on how she would act.**

 **Don't worry, Louise is a growing girl, she can do it! Or not. Hehe, we'll find out, won't we? ~ Aria**

 **Blue Zenith, we apologize for our late warning. We will stick trigger warnings more often from now on. Thank you for still continuing to read though, we're glad you haven't stopped reading our story!**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for your feedback! We're glad the ending was worth it, we were worried if the ending wouldn't be able to make up for all the horrible things we've put Louise through. Thankfully, it was worth it for you!**

 **Now, without further adieu, to the story~**

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 **Mipha**

It was already late in the afternoon when the redhead felt her tiny master stir from her deep slumber. Last night, she had stealthily fled the room in order to practice more about her magic. While she could have done so in the morning, her little mist stunt had attracted the attention of some of the familiars. How, she didn't know, but she guessed that the familiars that went over to check on her were ones who were intimately familiar with the workings of magic.

While she didn't mind the other familiars watching her, it felt uncomfortable. As things stood, only nobles were supposed to have magic. Mipha judged from the expressions of Colbert and Louise when she was first summoned that they had reacted rather disturbingly when she was called upon. It was as if the summoning of a noble and turning them into a familiar was taboo.

Mipha was a smart girl. She was very observant of her surroundings, ever since she was a little Zora. She had an odd feeling that if the students were to know her ability to use magic, it could cause quite a controversy. Her master had already been going through such, and she didn't certainly want to add more on that pile.

So, she had settled with reading in the library in the mornings and practicing magic in the evening. She had progressed a lot with the usage of her magic, and found out that she didn't need to a magic focus to use it. It delighted her greatly, which meant that she could use magic without the needing to hold her trident, which she used as her mana focus when she created the mist.

Still, creating water out of thin air, and solidifying them to ice still proved a _huge_ challenge for her. It drained her rather considerably, and she would need to work on that.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to hear the trumpeting of Vah Ruta in her soul anymore. It was as if it vanished, and merged with her ocean of Willpower. It saddened her considerably, but she knew that not all was lost. A piece of Vah Ruta was inside her, and she would cherish it.

Once in a while, she would interact with the staff, mostly Siesta, who she would bump upon rather frequently. She had managed to go past the awkward stage of their friendship, and she had somehow managed the maid to drop the formalities, but couldn't stop the maid from calling her with a title.

In fact, when she tried, she just made it worse when the maid turned from using "Miss" to "Lady".

Anyways, she was just about to go to the clearing and practice in that oddly secluded corner of the academy when she heard a bloodcurdling scream echo from the building. The sounds of the explosions rocked the foundation of the building, and caused quite the disturbance. The staff nearby were panicking, and the audible smashes of porcelain vases could be heard from afar.

Since she was the only able person, she quickly rushed back in the building to find the source of the explosions. She hadn't expected to see her master throwing a severe tantrum. The sheer pain in the voice of the pinkette _hurt_ her, and a quick memory flashed in her head. It was the memory of Zelda, who was being cradled by Urbosa after all the pressure caught up to her.

The image of the lost princess overlapped the pinkette on that situation. Overcome with grief, she immediately went over and hugged the pinkette, and refused to let go despite the latter's efforts. Though, once she said the words, she couldn't help but remind herself the promise she made with a certain Hylian Knight who she gave the same promise to.

"…Link."

The name already escaped her lips before she stopped herself.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she'd continued to soothe the pinkette. She had changed their spots some time ago, so Louise was comfortable. From the sitting position they were in, she had lied both of them down on the surface of the bed. The pinkette looked peaceful in her sleep, despite the tear stained cheeks that were still visible. While Mipha wanted to wipe those tears away, she couldn't exactly do so. The moment the Louise let go of her iron grip on the red head, the pinkette had already passed out from exhaustion.

It worried the red head. Had she known things would escalate to this level, she would've been more persistent with her inquiries for the past few days. Unfortunately, as things stood, she couldn't even approach the pinkette without eliciting a small cry of fear from her. It frustrated her, as she'd known that she had changed her focus on learning more about her newly found ability to use magic, than the well-being of her master.

She should have known better.

 _I shouldn't scold myself as much. What's done is done. The least I can do is repent through my actions._

Though, none of her actions felt _right_ for her. She felt guilty, since she knew that she was not only just helping, but also projecting _Link_ before her which led her to make the promise in the first place. She heard the groaning of the pinkette that was within her embrace. She quickly wiped away her thoughts, and prepared her best smile.

"Hello, Louise. How are you doing? You have gone through quite the ordeal last night. Have you calmed down?" she asked the young mage with the most caring voice she had. She didn't wish to startle the pinkette, especially since she just woke up. Louise stared up at her, and blinked as if it was taking time for her words to register in her brain. Mipha could accept that, and simply waited patiently.

The amount of emotions that ran through the pinkette's eyes troubled her. There were doubt in them, but also mixed with unhealthy doses of trust, reluctance, and still a bit of fear. Despite the situation, she noted how her eyes were quite the physical manifestation of the windows to her soul. She could see everything clearly through the pinkette's eyes, which the princess was sure she had never seen before. It was mesmerizing.

"You have very beautiful eyes," she couldn't help but remark.

It was a silent response from the pinkette, whose visage changed into confusion and embarrassment. The latter expression was shared by the red head, who quickly felt her cheeks rose in warmth. It was inappropriate to compliment her out of the blue like that; especially so in her current situations.

Her words could be easily mistaken by others, if the context wasn't known.

"Th-thanks?" Louise answered, but she looked unsure how to respond.

"A-ah, you're welcome."

Mipha trailed off by the end of her statement, and it was quiet once again. They just stayed together in bed, and held each other in the other's arms. She didn't know how to break the silence. It was a sensitive topic, and she didn't wish to make the pinkette speak about it. It was out of turn for her, and would be very insensitive of her to ask the pinkette what troubled her right after a breakdown. At the same time, she didn't wish to leave the pinkette alone.

 _I should just ask what's wrong as bluntly as possible. Perhaps, that would be the better way to speak, but-_

Mipha was scared. Every time she had asked someone what was wrong, she had always been pushed away. It was the case with Link, and it was the same case with Louise for the past few days. While the pinkette apologized to her last night in the middle of her crying, she hadn't quite understood the reason why the young mage felt the need to apologize. She had done nothing wrong to the princess; if anything, it was the princess who had done her wrong.

"I was scared."

Louise's soft voice shook Mipha out of her musing. Immediately, all thoughts redirected themselves to her. The princess pulled the pinkette closer, and caressed her hair.

"If it's alright with me asking, why were you scared?"

"I was scared of you-"

 _What?_

"I was scared that you were an elf, and that you were planning something to harm Tristain. That you were planning to kill me once I find out or something like that. I found out by accident, and I started distancing myself from you. I didn't know what to do if I should turn you in or not. I wanted to turn you in because I didn't want to give the Princess more troubles to deal with, and I didn't want to cause a war. However, the more I saw your expressions every day, and how you recently frequently left at night, it hurt me.

I felt guilty distancing myself away from you like that, and to see that I was actively hurting you, despite all you did to me is being nice and caring. It was unfair of me to you, and I just couldn't take it in anymore. I didn't know what to do."

Mipha blinked owlishly at Louise. Had she really looked that sketchy? The princess was baffled. Surely, she would do no such things; she wasn't one to hurt other people without reason! Even if her plans would include the country, she wouldn't go and do something as to _harm_ them. She would rather benefit them!

However, as Louise spoke, her eyes softened, and she felt the thorns that gripped her heart when she saw the pinkette so close to crying once again. Certainly, her actions and the expressions she commonly had in her face could be easily misunderstood. It was her fault in this situation, but she knew she just couldn't take all of the blame.

In the little time she knew Louise, she knew that the pinkette's pride wouldn't accept that. She also knew one more thing.

Louise was still hiding something.

She didn't let the frown surface on her lips. That was only one part of the story, Mipha knew that there were more things that plagued the pinkette, but let it slide for now. She would rather let the pinkette take this at her own pace, but she would guide her on the way. She smiled softly again, and spoke.

"Louise… It's alright, I forgive you, but do not believe that this is entirely your fault. I have my shortcomings as well, I should have told you I was going out to go and practice on my magic and spearmanship to pass the time, and I should have approached you more often. Please, don't blame yourself for this, and Louise, I promise you this. I won't harm a soul I would never do something like what you've thought of.

And, Louise, I'm not an elf- I'm a Hylian."

This time, it was Louise that blinked owlishly at red head. At first, the mage looked so close to crying again, but when she heard Mipha's last sentence, she raised her head.

"B-b-but you are an elf! You have pointed ears, and you could use Nature Magic," the red head practically shouted, her eyes wide with confusion and eyebrows furrowed in distress. Mipha flinched due to the loudness of Louise's voice. Despite turned into a Hylian, she had retained her sensitive hearing when she was a Zora.

"I- Louise- I don't understand what you mean. I don't know how to use Nature Magic. I am a Hylian, and, while surely we have our similarities with what you would call Elves in this world, we are not that different from humans. We have the same lifespan as you humans, and we are not that different biologically."

 _I think._

The last words were said in the princess' mind. Now that she knew of the source of Louise's distress, she could empathize with the pinkette, and purposely said those words in her head. If she were under Louise's situation, she would do the same just for the sake of her country. She just recalled and tried her best to explain what she knew of Hylians. As a Zora, she knew that she had a lifespan that could stretch to millennia.

Actually, would she still have the lifespan of a Zora, or the lifespan of a Hylian now? Logically speaking, she would have the lifespan of a Hylian, but her soul was still very obviously one of a Zora. She shook her thoughts away, and scolded herself. She would trouble about this later.

Still, Mipha felt strongly proud of the pinkette before her. She had put her country first, despite herself. She truly loved her country.

"I-I, there's no way that is true! S-such, something like that to exist, a human that looks like an elf."

The blabbering mess before her caused the red head to truly frown this time. Just what happened to her to make her act like this? When her fellow champions, and the princess were faced with a truth they've thought wrong for the entire time, they took it in face value. Daruk would laugh it off, Revali would try to play it off like he always knew, Urbosa would make one her exclamations of how she didn't know that, Zelda would be thrilled to gain new knowledge, and Link would just nod.

The reactions, and the actions of the pinkette before her only made her more concerned.

"Louise… How would you like it for me to prove it to you? That I am not an elf, that I'm only a Hylian."

The pinkette was silent at that, and a frown entered her lips. The princess could literally see how the gears turned inside the pinkette's head, as she'd thought of a plausible way to make Mipha prove that she wasn't an elf. Then, the pinkette began to speak her thoughts, which Mipha realized that she wasn't even conscious of.

"Well, for starters, you weren't arrogant and didn't call humans as barbarians and treated us with honour, so that's already out of the equation… I could ask you on what you believe in, but we would just end up fighting. There must be something…"

 _Was her upbringing awful to make her like this? Louise, just what happened to you?_

"Ah, I know! Tell me a story, and not just any story. No history, or logic or anything like that, tell me a fairy tale!"

Mipha didn't know how to react to this. While, on one side, she was glad that it was something as simple as that; on the other hand, she doubted that it was going to be that simple. While she knew of elves and what they looked like, she hadn't exactly read up anything more about them. Was this a test of some sorts?

"A fairy tale, are you certain?" the red head couldn't help but ask. It was completely out of place after all. Louise nodded. Mipha hummed in response, as she'd checked her memories for any fairy tale that she remembered. There was this one story that her father fondly told her about. It was one of great significance that her father told her, and it was what supposedly influenced the princess to become who she was today.

A fond smile entered her lips.

"Well, then, Louise. I would like to start my story now, are you prepared?"

* * *

 **Louise**

The pinkette was nervous, but also excited as she'd nodded her head to the noble's question. When the red head said that she wasn't an elf, it boggled her mind. She just couldn't believe that Mipha wasn't an elf that quick. She might still be lying to her, and was just using her vulnerabilities to her advantage. Louise knew that shouldn't have bared herself to the noble like that, even though she had a small amount of trust in her, but something inside told her that the red head before her was being genuine.

Besides, her surprise, and previous reactions sounded genuine. The cold voice inside her head that told her that she shouldn't trust anyone was being melted by the soft _love_ within Mipha's voice. Her yellow eyes seemed to stare far away, and she saw the fondness in her eyes. It was similar fondness to how she spoke about her domain.

"All right. A long time ago, there were two Zora princesses. The older of the princesses was mean and selfish. She was unkind to everyone, and only sought her own goal as she'd dragged everyone around her down in the process. She focused only to herself, and never once had she been kind to anyone. Her younger sister was the polar opposite of the eldest. She was kind and loving, and trusted in her father more than her sister ever did."

 _This sounds familiar._

As the pinkette listened to the story, a frown entered her lips when she'd tried to comprehend the first part of the story. The eldest sister sounded awfully similar to her mother's. While her mother was not necessarily unkind to everyone, she was still mean. She hadn't dragged everyone down, but she certainly didn't give others a glance unless they had worth to her.

It was uncanny.

"One day, their father called the two princesses. He wished to divide the kingdom, and asked the princess: 'Eldest daughter, what do you like most in the world?'

The eldest daughter thought of endless treasures, and power, but she knew that her father would be displeased if she uttered. She settled with lying to her father without shame. 'Daddy, it is you!' she lied. The king was pleased, but he didn't know the truth. When he turned to ask the youngest the same question, the youngest answered differently.

'Oh, there are a million of things I like! The blueness of the sea, the friendliness of the creatures, the smiles of our people, and helping others' was what she replied with. Unfortunately, it angered the king and punished her to leave the kingdom for a week. The poor youngest daughter was distraught, and spent her time weeping over things she didn't quite understand.

Why was her father angry at her? Things like that plagued her thoughts."

"What, that's unfair!" Louise shouted, and sat up. The younger daughter didn't deserve to be punished, she only answered what she truly liked! Was the father that arrogant for him to expect her daughters would only like him the most? It was ridiculous!

It grew anger inside the pinkette, and the snarl was visible in her lips. When she saw the smile on Mipha's lips, embarrassment grew inside her instead.

"Er, I mean, I'm-"

Maybe for the first time, she heard the red head laugh. The laughter was infectious, as it turned the snarl on Louise's face with a small smile. Whatever anger, or embarrassment she felt melted into her bed, as she'd watched the red head sit up like she did.

"Do not be sorry. That is the same reaction I made when my father first told me the story. I was quite frustrated, and vented a lot more, I tell you," she said, before she flushed. It was an adorable sight, one that Louise hadn't realized that she missed seeing from the red head. She cleared her throat as if to regain her dignity, and continued with the story.

"It was quite unfair, but after she calmed down, she heard the noises of someone sobbing. She immediately went over; her heart of gold wouldn't let her do anything else. There, she saw a tree that was leaking tears from its eyes."

 _Ah- so Mipha wasn't an elf._

That was enough for Louise to know that Mipha wasn't an elf. She had read records of elves in her spare time, and eventually found a book that tried its best to describe the elves without appearing to be completely fearful, or worshipping them. It was written in the book that elves had no creativity, and lacked the interest in such. They only cared about what was real, and often created novels that were real events instead of fantasy ones that humans often made.

The book made a point out of it, and said that elves even _despised_ the literary works.

For Mipha to tell the story like this, it meant that she wasn't one of the elves. It sent relief in her heart, even though the nagging conscience of her was telling her that it was all a ruse, and Mipha was probably just hiding her disgust from the story. However, her emotions just couldn't believe her reasoning. The clear genuine fondness in her voice and eyes were enough to break down that argument.

 _Although, there is her magic._

That was the only thing left she wasn't sure of.

"The youngest asked why the tree was crying, and it confided to the princess that it was dying. No one had watered it for some time, and it was going to die in the process. The princess didn't want this to happen, no, no. She immediately offered her help, and went ahead to dig a canal by her own, and redirected the route to the tree. This way, the tree would no longer need someone to water it in order to live."

For the first time in perhaps a while, Louise laughed softly. The idea of a _princess_ digging a canal on her own was hilarious and _endearing_ at the same time. The princess truly loved helping others.

 _Just like Mipha._

The smile on Mipha's face brightened, and Louise swore that if she didn't know Mipha, she would've mistaken the noble before her as a goddess. The pearly white teeth were shown very clearly, but her _dangerously_ sharp canines alarmed her for a bit. She decided to shrug it off, but she knew it would bug her. She would decide to ask Mipha later instead.

"The tree thanked her very much, and it was immensely happy. It tried to offer its gratitude by giving the princess one of the fruits it bore, but the princess immediately denied its offer. She only wished to help, and knowing she made the tree was reward enough for her already. After a short farewell between the two, the princess decided to go find others in need. Perhaps, there were others who needed help, and she would use the punishment she was given as the opportunity to do one of the things she liked the most. She went on a journey, far from her domain.

She found herself by the countryside, nearby Hyrule Castle, the place where Hylians lived.

There, she found a calf that was in a similar predicament with the tree. His mother didn't have hay to feed on, and would die if she wasn't fed. The master was gone, and he would die once her mother died. The princess told them not to worry, and went out in search for hay and grass. It was a funny story, actually. Who knew that a Zora princess would go as far as stealing from other farmers just to give the calf and his mom hay to feed?"

Louise felt a mix of shock, and happiness at that. She was happy that she would go so far to help the calf, but stealing was a little bit too much for her.

"She was thanked by the calf and his mother, and she continued on her journey. She then heard tiny voices, crying in distress. It worried the princess, so she tried to find the location of the voices. She found them, and they were ants mourning the loss of their ant hills. 'I will help you, let me gather some mud, and we'll create a better place!' was what the princess said. That she did, and once she was finished, the ants thanked her.

She continued on her journey, but soon found herself tired. She stumbled upon a hut in the middle of a forest, and knocked on the door. An old lady opened the door, and the princess said 'Please, allow me to stay in your place for a week. In return, I will do your chores and works for the said week.' The old lady let her in, and the princess did what she promised. She had never once told the old lady she was the princess, because she didn't want to be treated like one."

"Wait, why wouldn't the princess want to be treated like one? It should be an honour, a pride that she should carry! She's the princess, right?" Louise asked. Mipha smiled at her, one that was full of knowing, and understanding.

"Louise, being treated equally and having fun with them without worry is one of the greatest things a princess could ever ask for."

The pinkette flinched at her statement when she felt the tone under her voice. It wasn't longing, or yearning, nor was it melancholy. It was an odd mix of sadness and happiness, one that Louise couldn't put to words in her thoughts. It didn't make any sense for her. She kept silent, and let the noble continue her story.

"Then, the week came up. She told the old lady that she would leave the next day, and thanked the lady for allowing her to stay, and even went as far as providing the bath tub for her to soak in whenever the princess needed water. The princess thanked the old lady and was about to leave, but was stopped by the lady.

The old lady then gave her a beautiful dress, one that the Zora was shy from accepting, and a box. The old lady told her to only open it once she was in her room. The princess nodded her thanks, and thanked the old lady profusely for giving her shelter, food, and water. She hugged the old lady before she departed back to her domain while she wore the beautiful dress she was given.

She came across the ant hill once again, and the ants gave her gems and jewels. She tried to refuse their offer, but the ants were adamant about it. Then, she came across the calf and the cow's Hylian master, and she was given milk, sweets, and other dairy products. He even had his people arrange a cart for them to carry to the Zora's house, despite their race differences. She came across the tree, who gave her one of the fruits it bore, and told her to only open it once she was in her room.

Needless to say, she was warmly welcomed back by her people. She surprised her father when she saw all the gifts she carried, and noticed that her daughter was happier and truly beautiful than before. She looked like she had grown significantly for the past week."

The smile on Louise's face became strained at that. Was that how truly kindness worked? She was never one on the receiving edge of kindness during her stay in school, but she had certainly plenty of those while she was in Cattleya's presence. She encouraged her as much as she could, when her mother would punish her. She was the sweet and sugar in the family, while the mother was the stick.

She shivered involuntarily at that, one that seemed to have gone unnoticed by the red head. She was startled slightly when she felt the hand above hers, and saw the green glow that was emitting from the noble's hand. The green glow entered her body, and spread warmth in her.

 _Ah, Mipha's trying to comfort me._

The strained smile on her lips softened and turned genuine as she gave Mipha a nod of thanks. The red head smiled and nodded back before continuing her story.

"Needless to say, the eldest daughter was jealous, especially once she discovered the riches the youngest now held after she opened her gifts. She went out on a journey on her own, and came across the same set of people in need that the youngest helped. She demanded gifts from all of them with the authority of a noble, and she was blown off by every individual. She even kicked the cow and calf.

Only the old lady wasn't able to refuse, who feared her life if she were to refuse the princess. Commoners are not allowed to talk back against a noble after all. She gave what the princesses wanted, a beautiful dress, and a gift. However, when the princess went back from her journey, she was faced by the other creatures. The ants bit her nonstop when she passed by them, and it cracked the scales on her legs and face. She was kicked by the cows and calves when she passed by them, and the tree threw its fruits at her. Her head hurt, and swelled and she cried out for the tree to stop before she ran away."

Louise visibly flinched at this. How the princess was treated was horrible, but a cold part of her mind told her that the princess deserved it. This time, she was alarmed by herself. Nobles and Royalties should be treated with everything, and if they demanded something, they should receive it. It was the common courtesy and respect after all.

 _But she deserved it. The princess was nothing, but horrible to those creatures!_

It was a new voice in her mind that Louise was shocked to hear. It was a voice she couldn't pinpoint, yet it was _intimately_ familiar to her. It was one of a female, definitely young, and was nowhere near Cattleya's, nor Mipha's.

"When she arrived back on her domain, the father was surprised to see the state of her eldest daughter. Her dress was in tatters, and her red scales were no longer shimmering and beautiful like it used to be. The father asked 'What happened, dear daughter?', and the princess answered by crying out and apologizing to the youngest. She promised to never be selfish once again, and abuse her authority as a princess.

From then, the eldest learned from her mistakes, and became kinder. The princesses then lived happily ever after."

Mipha went silent after that, and Louise was too. The story registered in her head, and she discovered the meaning behind the story. She didn't need Mipha to tell her, the moral of the story was painfully obvious for everyone to hear.

 _Always help people, and never hurt others._

It was a completely different line of thinking from her mother's Rule of Steel, and she found herself in conflict once again. The rule of steel side of her, the cold logical side, was shouting at her. It told her that the story was only false, and that there was nothing gained by helping others. Only oneself can help oneself to achieve the goals they aspired to.

 _But that never worked out for the princess in the story, you're wrong!_

It was that voice again that rang in her mind. Louise didn't know what was going on, just whose voice was that?

"-ise, Louise?"

The pinkette blinked back to reality, and she looked at the red head who had a worried expression.

"Is there something wrong?"

Mipha's yellow eyes felt like they were piercing right through her.

"N-no, nothing's wrong."

The red head frowned at her, and Louise felt relieved that she didn't pursue the topic any further.

"A-anyways, okay Mipha, I believe in you, but I'm still sceptical. Especially with how you use magic, why does it glow green? Is it Nature Magic? How come can you use magic without needing an incantation?"

Mipha looked troubled from Louise's rapid fire questions. Her eyes were wide as she backed away a bit when the pinkette unconsciously leaned forward as she'd asked her questions.

"N-no, my healing abilities are not Nature Magic, and more of it was born with me? I, actually, don't know have a very clear idea to use magic, but, uhm, I suppose I can tell you how I use mine?"

Louise's eyes widened at that, and her scholar mode seemed to have switched on. She immediately nodded her head, and leaned close to Mipha.

What she learned next completely shattered her understanding of how to harness Willpower and use magic.

* * *

 **Siesta**

The black haired maid was tending to her duties when she saw the red head passing down the halls. The person was familiar to her, very closely in fact, that she'd immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed over. Usually, she wouldn't do something like this. Not only were her actions against the code, but also of the fact that she might get punished for even doing something like this. If any noble found out that she was lacking in her duties, she'd be fired for sure.

However, none of that mattered to the red head before her.

"Lady Mipha!" she called out cheerfully. If one would tell someone of the staff that Siesta purposely chatted with a noble from about a week and a half ago, then one would be stared at with incredulity. It was no secret that she was obedient, and followed her role as a commoner very accordingly in order to avoid possible trouble from any of the noble students.

In a sense, she was very well-liked among both commoners and nobles in the school. The nobles praised her formalities and her attitude whenever she was to interact with them, while the commoners saw her of some sort of an idol to protect.

 _Well, it's not like I have a say in it._

The princess turned around, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"Ah, Siesta. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Siesta giggled at this. Despite how Mipha told her to drop the formalities with her, it was the princess herself who kept the formalities in the conversation. Regardless, she enjoyed talking with her. When the red head approached her after the little room incident she had with her, she feared that she was finally going to be punished; though, one side of her was excited by the prospect of being punished by such a wonderful noble like Mipha. When the red head instead asked her how the weather was going, it left the maid surprised, and flabbergasted.

It took her a whole minute to realize just what the red head said, and another minute to reply. Despite the long hang time, the princess seemed to have kept her smile. She could remember it like it happened yesterday.

 _The maid was just sweeping when the floor when she heard footsteps that were slowly approaching her. She quickly turned her head down, and refused to look up. She simply bowed to the figure before her when she saw the standard student shoes stop before her sight. This was the common treatment of a commoner to a noble were they to come across them by the halls._

" _Uhm, please, raise your head. You do not need to bow to me."_

 _Siesta froze. It was a voice she knew, of course she wouldn't forget that voice._

" _Has she finally decided to punish me?!" was what rang in Siesta's head. She immediately panicked, and dearly hoped that wasn't the case. She still had much to live for, and she didn't wish to lose her job._

" _Uhm, please, raise your head. It's uncomfortable."_

 _Not wishing to displease the noble before her, she immediately straightened herself and stared at the chest of the red head before her. She was scared to stare at her in the eyes. She had seen plenty of nobles looking at her with disdain, or like she was some sort of meat in sale._

" _But if it were Miss Mipha, then I wouldn't mind," was what she thought._

" _What's wrong? Please, look at me."_

 _It took every nerve and will Siesta had just to raise her face. It was silent for a while, as she'd tried to steel her nerves, but only ended up becoming more anxious than before. When she finally lifted her face, she met worried yellow eyes._

" _Wait, worried yellow eyes?" she thought._

" _I wish to thank you again, for assisting me to find the way to the baths. I wasn't sure how should I thank you, but I see that you're being troubled. I'll do my best to help you."_

 _She quickly shook her head, and denied that she was troubled just as fast. It seemed like the red head wasn't convinced, but still dropped the topic. Siesta was surprised that she hadn't decided to demand an answer instead._

" _So… the weather's fine, isn't it?"_

 _Siesta stared owlishly at Mipha._

Needless to say, Siesta _dared_ thought of it that they were fast friends. While Siesta was worried about her conduct at first, she found that Mipha wasn't that hard to approach. In fact, it felt like she was used to interacting with commoners, but not in the way that Tristain nobles and other nobles acted. She treated her with the same respect as she would a fellow noble.

It was almost as if Mipha was a commoner instead of a noble. In the end, Siesta began to treat Mipha like she was one of her siblings, and the two began to tease each other light heartedly.

Siesta was a nice girl to everyone. When she met a noble as kind as Mipha, she couldn't help, but reciprocate that kindness. She soon ended up admiring the noble, which also sometimes led to her imagining some _risqué_ things that she would rather not come to light.

In the end, she ended up calling her lady once Mipha revealed she was a princess, yet a familiar.

It was the second day of them spending some time together when Mipha revealed that she was Louise's familiar. It shocked Siesta, but she supposed it made sense. How else would you explain a noble walking around a school with a trident on her hands?

"Lady Mipha, why so stiff? Why don't you try being more casual?" she asked the princess, as she happily closed a bit of their distance to the point their arms were touching. The red head looked confused at that, and Siesta's mind quickly supplied a comment over how cute the princess looked like.

"What do you mean? I am speaking casual with you right now, right?" she asked. It looked like it genuinely troubled her, which made Siesta giggle again.

"No, no, it's still too formal! You need to be less stiff, less caring of some of your words," the maid instructed. Mipha nodded in reply.

"I will take that in mind then, thank you, Siesta."

"Aaah, there you go again, being formal! You're the one who said I shouldn't be formal, Lady Mipha, why are you still formal?"

The small smile widened on the red head's lips. Siesta would have to admit, she looked dazzling even without the pearly whites showing.

"Well, I have to ask you the same! You're still calling me Lady Mipha, despite how I've frequently told you to stop calling me that, and just call me by my name. Do you wish to be punished?"

The maid feigned horror, and "gasped" in shock.

"Oh dear, the kind and merciful Lady Mipha will punish me? Please, have mercy on this poor soul!" she acted, as she'd flinched away from Mipha. Unfortunately, the fear in her voice was broken by the grin on Siesta's face. The princess raised an eye brow at her, but the similar grin on her face broke the serious atmosphere. The two of them stood still for a while, before they finally broke out in soft laughter.

Once they'd calmed down, Mipha tilted her head for a quick moment. It was a gesture that Siesta didn't understand at first, but the more she spent time together with the princess, she learned all of the simple gestures the red head had. She liked the gestures, since they were simple yet delivered the meaning so well.

Siesta nodded her head, as the two walked down the halls in comfortable silence. While they did tease each other frequently, they were still timid people. Fortunately since Mipha was standing next to her, the other students didn't dare to scold the maid for not doing her job. A few of her fellow maids sent her looks of envy, and she had to frown at that.

 _I've been telling them to try and talk with Mipha, yet they haven't. Now they're envious of me? Still- it's weird how no one's ever noticed that Mipha is a familiar though._

She thought that it must be the school clothes Mipha was wearing that hid the fact. She didn't have a spare set of clothes, so she was allowed by the Headmaster to wear the student uniform. Only the second year students knew of Mipha's identity as a familiar, but they were barely around. While the students knew of a human familiar was in the vicinity, they hadn't deduced that it was Mipha.

Wait, _Hylian_ familiar was in the vicinity.

 _Speaking of which._

"How's Louise doing, Lady Mipha?" she asked after a few minutes of them just walking around aimlessly. The events a few nights ago were made known in the school. While the information of who was the mage that went ballistic was well hidden, Siesta knew that it was Louise. The impassive expression on Mipha's face on that day made it known for the maid, and the princess confirmed it herself when she was confided everything to her.

It honestly scared the maid to see such a kind and caring princess wear an impassive mask. So, when the smile on her face hadn't wavered and her eyes seemed to soften, Siesta knew that everything was doing well from that.

While Siesta hadn't spoken much, she wasn't an idiot. She could tell things that others couldn't, and, while admits that she wasn't smart, she made that up by being observant.

"Ah, she's doing well. After I've told her all about how I used my magic, we have been working together to help her use magic for herself."

There was a sour tone by the end of her statement, and Siesta knew why. The rumours of Louise the _Zero_ spread even amongst the commoners. Initially, Siesta felt bad that Mipha was summoned by an incapable mage, but when she found out more about Louise's situation from Mipha, she sympathized with the pinkette. While the princess hadn't given the necessary and important details, she knew that the young mage had something complicated going on.

Siesta herself wanted to help Louise, but she could only help in the most mundane ways which was why she took more jobs for Louise than usual.

Not only had she been more diligent to serving Louise, she had cooked and delivered her meals herself. It surprised Louise when Siesta bumped up her servitude, and thanked her for her service. Siesta only smiled as an answer, before she continued with her duties.

She was still not on friendly terms with Louise, just like how she was with Mipha. Despite that, she wanted to see the pinkette to succeed.

"Has there been any progress?"

Mipha nodded.

"Yes, we have at least started to contain her explosions whenever she casted her spells. She was very happy about it."

Siesta nodded as well, before she fell silent once again. The two walked for more, until Siesta thought it was time to go back and perform her duties.

"Well, thanks for letting me hang out with you again, Lady Mipha! I need to go perform my duties now."

"Ah, thanks for spending time with me too, Siesta. Have a good day," she said as she'd turned to the maid and gave her a smile.

The maid was happy about that.

"Yes, you too!" she said happily as she'd skipped her way to her next duty: accommodating the second year students with their tea time. When she was out of Mipha's sight and stepped into the grass clearing with tables and the students already sat on them, she had to restrain her disgusted face. As kind and understanding she was, there were still boundaries of that kindness of hers.

Some of the nobles in the academy were dangerously close to crossing that.

 _Tch. These nobles should just go._

* * *

 **Louise**

Louise was sat on one of the chairs, and sipped on her tea, while her other fellow classmates around her were bonding with their familiars. She hadn't felt any particular envy or jealousy when she would glance at her surroundings whenever she took a quick break from the spell theory book she was reading. It was a complicated spell theory that Mipha suggested, one that she was surprised that Mipha even knew about. It was one that focused on the deeper workings of magic, and it had worked wonders for her and her spells. At the very least, she had managed to control her explosions, and created the very small inkling of wind magic. Even though she only managed to hold an object in the air for a few seconds, it was progress.

Still, she found it weird how the cup she was holding in the air had a white glow around it.

Still, the complicatedness of the spell theory caused her head to hurt. It wasn't one she was used to reading, and it had so many complicated details that not even the teachers tackled. When she asked Mipha's opinion about why the teachers hadn't discussed this, the princess explained that it might be the teachers wished to teach simpler since everyone around them had a high affinity to use magic.

She truly wondered just where Mipha found this book from the library. Still, she wasn't complaining. This book was helping her solve her problems that she couldn't solve for the past years.

"Hm, Louise, where's your familiar?"

A tick mark appeared on her head, as she turned to the Germanian harlot. Zerbst was standing just a few steps away from her, with her familiar flame salamander next to her like it was her guard dog. Louise simply stared at her, before she turned her attention back to her book.

"Hey, hey, what's with the cold reception?"

"Mipha's out for a walk. She still gets lost in the academy, so she wanted to familiarize herself more."

"Hmm, I see. Seems like your familiar doesn't like to sit around, eh?"

"Yes, she sure doesn't."

Then there was silence. Louise wasn't sure why she was even interacting with Zerbst, but she had to admit, she had been in a good mood lately. The new voice in her head had made things a less stressful for her, as she'd started to pay more attention to details she would otherwise not see. She also started to act according to what she wished as well, and her emotions had barely been in conflict with her thinking lately. While she still couldn't pinpoint whose voice it was, she was thankful for it, even though the voice was barely audible in her head.

There was also the fact that the Zerbst had lessened her teasing lately. While Louise was grateful for this, it also worried her. The sudden stop of Zerbst's more painful insults and teasings had greatly bothered her. Not to mention she had stopped calling her _Zero_ as well.

"Hey, maybe you've really brought a plebeian and dressed her in good clothing just so you could have a familiar? I mean, the explosion made it hard to see."

 _Nevermind, she's still the same Zerbst._

However, there was something in her tone, something that almost made Louise stare at Zerbst with wide eyes. While she still delivered the sentence with the same condescending tone whenever she teased the pinkette, there was something completely different mixed in. It was a kind emotion, one that she was surprised that the Germanian red head would ever show to her.

 _She's worried about me?_

The very fact that she even managed to tell that there was a trace of worry in her statement caused every thought process in Louise's mind to reach a halt, before it rapidly shot different questions at a time. The cold logical part gave her reason that the redhead was just trying to trip her, but the softer voice in her head didn't think so.

"I did the summoning right, and she was what appeared. "

"I see. Louise."

This time, Louise did look up to see Zerbst staring at her. The emotions in her features was held back, that much she could tell. She was biting her lip, before she sighed and stared at her in the eyes.

"If something were to ever trouble you, please don't hesitate to approach me."

Her statement caused Louise's jaw to drop to the floor, as she'd stared at her. The Germanian looked very embarrassed, as her cheeks were coloured a rose red. She quickly turned around and left with her salamander in tow.

 _She's worried about me._

That much was solid proof now. While she hadn't exactly shown it on her features, her words said it all. So many things ran in Louise's head once again, thoughts that she hadn't had ever since that faithful night with Mipha.

 _No, no way, there's no way that woman is worried about me. What game is she playing this time? Wait, no, maybe she was genuine. She had lessened her teasing about me after all, and she hadn't acted openly hostile in a while. Maybe we could be friends…_

 _Wait, no, that wouldn't work! Our families have been rivals ever since the beginning and we blend together as well as water and oil. It wouldn't work out, never._

For the first time in a while, Louise felt conflicted. Should she believe in her words, or should she not?

 _We should believe in her._

Louise sighed. No, it wouldn't do her well to think more about this. This time, she would take her words at face value, and let the Zerbst prove her words through her actions. Louise nodded with that, satisfied with the solution she created. It was one that aligned well with logic, and she could hear the tiny voice in her head give its approval.

She had truly grown in just a couple of days.

She returned her attention back at the book she was reading, and recalled the important knowledge she was given by Mipha.

The ability to use magic without the need of incantations and a mana focus.

She had honestly not believed in Mipha when she said she could do that. She had laughed it off, and said that only the elves could do such, because of their connection to Nature Magic. However, Mipha began to prove it to her by causing mist to appear in the room they were in and dropping the temperature without even saying anything. The mist she created was easily a triangle-classed spell that even some Square-Class Mages had difficulty in creating. She was close to shouting at Mipha that she was lying about being a Hylian, when she noticed one thing.

There was the presence of _Willpower_ , and a lack of presence of a _spirit_ in the room.

That detail solidified the fact that Mipha could use magic without the need of incantations and a mana focus despite being a Hylian, who was supposedly _intimately_ similar to humans. This event that appeared before her, one that was known to be impossible in centuries, ignited the fire in her. She was excited to learn this feat, to be able to replicate it sometime on her own in the future.

When she immediately asked how Mipha did it though, she never quite understood anything she said, which was why she was reading the book she had in her hands right now. Slowly, but surely, she understood what Mipha was telling her, and it helped greatly when she casted her first successful "Levitation" spell.

If only she knew that there was something more in that spell of hers.

After that, she had fixed her relationship with her, and returned to calling her as princess in her thoughts. She also told Mipha to absolutely not let anyone see her ears and to absolutely not create a scene. If she did, it would cause a _large_ problem that could very well send the country in disarray. While Louise believed in Mipha, it was only because she knew her story already before the whole mess of the latter being an elf.

A sharp cry brought Louise out of her musings, as she'd quickly turned her attention to where the sound came from. From quite a distance, she saw the familiar black haired maid, one she had come to know as Siesta, lying on the ground, and an enraged looking Guiche who had a rose held in his hand. The maid was holding her visibly swollen cheek with one hand, and she was apologizing and crying profusely at Guiche.

 _Isn't- isn't that the maid who has been serving me more than lately?_

Louise was immediately confused. What just happened? Was she really that focused with her musings? She gave her surroundings a glance, and noticed that there was a crowd that was surrounding them. She spotted the blonde bitch, Montmorency, and a first year walking away from Guiche. The first year was holding a bag, and was visibly crying. A few of the girls had rushed forward to comfort her, while the others were staring at Guiche in disdain.

"No, I would not accept your apology! You were only a mere commoner, yet you made these two beautiful roses cry. You do not deserve any mercy, yet I, Guiche de Bramont, will provide you with one. A swift death should suffice with your reckless act!"

Louise's eyes widened when she saw that. He wouldn't really dare, would he? She immediately stood up when she saw the golem in the shape of a Valkyrie manifest from his side. The golem had raised its spear, and pointed it at the downed maid, who looked utterly horrified. The pinkette really didn't know why, but she ran forward.

 _Why… Why am I eager to save this girl?_

The maid should be nothing to her. She was only doing her job when she was serving Louise, and now she was simply paying the price for pissing off a noble. While she didn't know the circumstances of what happened, it was simply her punishment. There should be nothing more, yet the pinkette was still running. She held her wand in a death grip, and she was frantically trying to think up of ways on how she could save the girl. Duels between nobles were banned, so she couldn't confront Guiche exactly.

She could try to use her "explosion", and blame it on a cup that she was trying to use Levitate on, but failed to aim properly.

When she saw the Valkyrie was about to strike, her heart halted.

 _Why am I feeling something like this for a commoner?_

She couldn't understand. Logic dictated to her that she was dispensable. A plebeian had no further rights than to serve a noble. If anything, nobles were the most important here.

Yet, her heart and the voice in her head felt strongly against what her logic dictated. A spell was already on her tongue, as she'd raised her wand. The students who were near her caught her doing so, and was about to shout, when the loud scraping noise of metal piercing metal echoed in the clearing. Everyone had to cover their ears from the sheer _terrifying_ noise it made, and how it made their ears wish to bleed.

Not for Louise though. She had her attention completely devoted to a certain princess, who was currently in the air, with her trident piercing through the Valkyrie's head. It seemed that in her musings, she had failed to see the princess vault herself over the crowd. Her logical side had easily deduced such after Louise saw her posture and sudden appearance in the air. However, there was one more thing that caught Louise's attention.

Chills went down Louise's spine when she caught sight of her face. It was cold, devoid of any emotion, yet her eyes burned in silent fury. It was as if her yellow eyes seemed to glow from power. She watched carefully as the princess gracefully planted her feet against the Valkyrie and used it as a leverage to throw herself off it. The trident _smoothly_ slid off the Valkyrie. It caused Louise to realize just how _sharp_ it was.

She made a mental note in her mind to do everything it took to avoid the trident at all costs.

The princess landed in front Siesta, and kneeled before her. Her scary features had incredibly softened, to one of worry as she'd asked how the maid was doing. Louise watched as Mipha quietly inspected the swelling on Siesta's face, and healed it without letting anyone see what she was doing. When her hand came off the maid's face that was coloured in surprise, even the students in the area were surprised.

"How did she do that?!", "was that magic?", and "was that a unique ability?!" were the cries that could be heard from the crowd. The others were silent, as they'd watched the princess with a critical eye. For Louise, she sighed in relief. Not only did Mipha stop her from stepping in, she healed the maid as well.

 _Why do I feel so strongly towards a commoner?_

It looked like Louise would need some meditation soon. Any further thoughts of hers were gone when Mipha turned her attention to Guiche. The terrifying expression was back on her face, and it caused Guiche to quickly falter despite the red head's beauty. She watched as the young blond try to salvage his pride, and quickly called out to Mipha.

"A-ah, beautiful rose that cannot be compared to any other, why would you dare to interrupt in a noble's business?"

"A noble's business? Don't make me laugh, child."

The flatness of her voice terrified Louise as she wasn't the only one who was breathing shortly. The sheer _pressure_ and _anger_ hidden in the flatness affected everyone in the surroundings, and not even the maid was spared from it. Guiche looked flabbergasted, before a sneer found its way to his lips.

"You dare mock a noble?!"

"You are no noble, child. You are merely a child who was handed a title, but doesn't know what to do with it," she hissed out. The blond's eyes widened in shock, and several gasps and outcries were erupted from the crowd. Louise was no exception to the latter, as she let out a shocked gasp as well.

What Mipha said was controversial. While it was true a noble's rights were handed to them upon birth, no one, not even the nobles, had dared voice out about the topic. After all, it was convenience to them. The nobles got to carry on their bloodline without protest, and the commoners were simply too afraid to revolt against them. Essentially, what Mipha said was an act of war.

Louise was exasperated, as she'd groaned in her mind. Just when she told Mipha that her very nature could cause a war, she did something like this. That was one thing that shocked her, but there was another.

Louise was surprised that Mipha was openly showing her hostility towards Guiche. She knew that the princess was a kind and patient person. She had seen her mingle with commoners and nobles alike for the past few days after she fixed her relationship with her. She had never once shown a sign of frustration, despite everything, and she hadn't been angry _once_ even during the time when Louise treated her harshly.

However, despite her thoughts and her fright, a blooming pride was blossoming in her chest.

"How dare you-"

"No, how dare you."

The quick cut off from Mipha caused Guiche to stop from his words. While his was louder, and Mipha's was soft, the princess' soft voice managed to overpower Guiche in terms of _power_. Some idle thought in the pinkette noted that Guiche's face was hilarious to look at.

"Child, do you even know what makes a noble?"

It was silent after that. Not one had spoken up, perhaps in fear of being the target of the _death glare_ that the princess was currently sending the blond. The blond kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish, before he finally shouted an answer.

"Magic is what makes a noble, noble! A noble has powers and riches that commoners would grovel at their feet to serve them." Some of the students around him nodded to his answer, but still refused to speak up. They stared at the princess, and waited in bated breath for her answer.

"Wrong."

The way Mipha said it was even more _terrifying_ than before. If her voice was flat earlier, now it was just barely above a whisper. Louise had to admit, but Guiche was brave to take on the brunt of the red head's fury.

"Nobles protect and serve their people. They do not raise arms against them, but raise love in them. They do not threaten them with death and fear, but treat them with kindness and compassion. Nobles exist _for_ the people, and not the other way around."

Once again, her answer shocked the students, but it wasn't one of controversy though. They were shocked, because of, what was according to them, the _wrong_ definition of a noble. However for Louise, she agreed with Mipha completely, and she knew why.

If it were the Louise before, she would've disagreed with the princess. Nobles exist for commoners to serve. They had the power, and that meant they had the authority. Their superiority proved that they were to lead, and not to serve. However, that was what her logic, her Rule of Steel, dictated.

What her emotions dictated was what Mipha just said out loud.

"That's naïve thinking! Why should we, people of power, serve these commoners? Don't you know what you're saying is blasphemous to the gifts the Founder has given to the nobles?!" Guiche practically shouted. The students around Louise agreed, and let it known by their outcries. Louise thought that she was the only one who remained silent, but she noticed a certain Germanian, and a bluenette together who were also silent: Tabitha and Zerbst.

If anything, the two looked disgusted of their fellow students.

Now, this surprised Louise. Had the two of them never really thought of it like this way?

She noticed how Mipha's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Disgusting. You truly are disgusting."

Once again, it was silent. Guiche's eyes widened, before his face was flushed in anger.

"You, you dare call me, a noble, disgusting?! Know your place, commoner!" he shouted as he'd raised the rose in his hand and pointed it at Mipha. "Oh beautiful rose, perhaps you weren't as pure as I have thought. Not only have you sullied my pride, but also have spoken out of turn of the Brimir Faith! For that, I will punish you. I demand a duel!"

The students around her echoed in agreement, and began to chant the word "duel". Louise's eyes widened, and she knew she had to step in.

"W-wait!" she called out as she'd rushed towards them.

"I accept the duel, child. If this is the only way to discipline you, that I will do so," she said coldly. That caused Louise to stop in her tracks, and a visibly frightened Guiche to try and compose himself.

"H-hmph! You speak like that for now, but I will have you proven wrong! Meet me by the Vestry Field, and we will see who is right there, commoner."

Mipha nodded, with her eyes still narrowed in at Guiche. When he began moving brazenly, she followed.

"W-wait, Mipha, stop!" she called out. It seemed that worked to break Mipha out of her weird trance, as she'd turned her attention back to Louise. A surprised expression was on her face, before she looked sheepish.

"What are you doing?! Haven't I told you not to make yourself known too much?"

To the princess' credit, she remained looking sheepish even under Louise's shouting.

 _Just how could she remain calm like this?!_

While Louise was shouting, she just couldn't seem to calm her thoughts.

"Ah, I apologize, Louise, but when I saw what was about to happen to Siesta, I, uhm, couldn't stop myself," she apologized, but the steeled resolve on her features said it all. She wasn't going to budge at all, no matter what Louise would say.

This caused Louise to sigh, before she softly held Mipha's hand. She knew that nothing she would say was going to work, but she needed to at least have something to comfort her mind. She still didn't want Mipha to fight, perhaps in fear of her getting hurt, but at the same time, she wanted to see her fight. It would be good to know what she could do after all.

"Please, go easy on him, and please, don't use your magic" was what she said before she let go of her hand. Mipha nodded to her, before she turned to follow Guiche to the field. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, as she'd followed her familiar as well.

They soon arrived at the field, yet they were still some people around. In fact, there were more than the intended audience. She didn't decide to stand next to Mipha, since she feared she might just accidentally get slashed or impaled by her trident. She stuck in the crowd, and, regrettably, stood next to Zerbst.

"I'm surprised you allowed her to do this, Louise. Are you sure she's going to be okay?" she asked the pinkette. She only nodded as an answer, and never let her gaze wander away from Mipha.

"It seemed like you didn't back down, my tainted rose. I must applaud you for your bravery."

Mipha kept silent as she'd just continued staring at Guiche.

"Ah, and Louise, glad for you to join us. Are you worried about your familiar? Don't worry, as tainted as she is, I won't harm her petals. She's truly too beautiful to be truly hurt after all, I will only humiliate her."

 _No, it's you who I'm worried for, Guiche._

Louise wanted to say those words out loud on her own, but she knew that it would only provoke the blond. So, she kept silent, and just nodded her head to his answer. It wasn't an answer the blond was expecting, and Louise felt a huge sense of satisfaction when she saw the blond at a loss for words.

She internally smirked at that.

"Then, let's begin the duel. I am Guiche de Gramont, and my runic name is Guiche the Bronze," he said this, as he swung his rose. The rose petal fell on the floor, and created a white magic circle. From there, the Valkyrie rose again.

This time, Louise frowned at that. _Did he forget that Mipha easily took down one of his golems?_

"Therefore, a bronze golem Valkyrie will be your opponent!"

From then, the Valkyrie attacked. It rushed forwards, at a speed that Louise could barely follow, and was about to shout for Mipha to dodge. However, she just noticed Mipha was just standing there, and a disappointed expression was on her face.

 _What is she doing?!_

Fear crept up in Louise's heart once again, as she'd watched the Valkyrie get closer and closer to Mipha, who only raised her trident. It was rather comedic actually, as the Valkyrie couldn't stop its assault and got itself impaled by the trident on its own.

What happened next ruined the comedic moment. The princess unceremoniously nudged the Valkyrie off her trident, and beheaded it in one swing. The bronze golem easily crumbled down, leaving a shell shocked Guiche who just finally realized just how dangerous Mipha was.

Then, the silent princess made her move.

* * *

 **Cliffhangeeeeer, what did you think of the story? Was it exciting? Was it heartening, was it great? Let us know!**

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger, but we didn't want to make the chapter any longer. - Crowe**


	7. Familiar Arc: Consistent Flow

**Crowe here!**

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 **And we're back for another chapter~**

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 _ **TRIGGER WARNING**_

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 **Now without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Mipha**

 _A red Zora sat by the edge of a blue structure, one structured to limit the flow of water, and kept it from overflowing Lulu Lake right below it. It was a beautiful structure, there was no doubt about it. A blue pristine mineral was used to be its base, and the elegant designs were carved directly from it. The red Zora thought back on her studies, as she'd stared into the night sky._

 _The mini damn she was sitting on was one of the dams the Zora have made after the Hylians constructed the dam before East Reservoir Lake. It worked its role perfectly, and the Zora king of that time wished to create the same for the remaining lakes in the area for safety. It had served its purpose well, as the waters were now well controlled, and no longer flooded the domain and the Hylians just down the stream._

 _She heard soft footsteps behind her back, but backed by its weight, it seemed to be louder than any ordinary footstep. If one wasn't a Zora, they would easily mistook the footsteps as one of those dreadful Lynels. As it stood, the red Zora was luckily one of her kin, and she knew the footsteps ever since she had been born._

" _Father, why are you awake and about so late? Isn't it frowned upon by the elders if you walk around unguarded?"_

 _A booming laughter caused the edges of Mipha's lips to twitch upwards. She didn't need to turn around to look at her father, as he'd taken the spot next to her._

" _Bah, those elders are too senile to enjoy what's fun. Can't an old man catch a break?"_

 _A scandalized gasp escaped the red Zora's lips as she'd turned to her father with wide eyes._

" _Father! While the elders are certainly old, it would not do us respect if you treat them as such," she scolded her father. Her father turned to her with one eye more open the other- the Zora equivalent of one raising their eyerow. The father just stared at her before laughing. This caused the red Zora to frown even more._

" _Father, while you are certainly the king, you must know that the elders carry authority that are bigger than ours. They have influence over the domain that we cannot hope to match, as they have also been once the advisers of the previous kings before us."_

 _The large Zora stopped laughing at that before he patted his daughter's head._

" _Tell me, daughter, what does it mean to rule?"_

" _Huh?"_

 _It was a question that completely caught her off guard. She frowned at her father, before she quickly recalled what she was taught by her mentor, Muzu._

" _To rule means to govern the people. We must act as their leaders, and bring them prosperity and security; in turn, they must serve us, and follow our every order with zealous. Isn't that what it means father? Or…"_

 _A wry smile entered her father's lips, one that she had frequently seen whenever she was invited by her father to join the meetings of political nature. It was a smile that disturbed the young princess, as it never fitted her father. She preferred seeing him with such a lovely and mischievous grin over this smile that showed weariness of his age._

" _You are not entirely wrong on that matter, child. It is rather correct, but you lack something else. Didn't Muzu teach you this?"_

 _Mipha shook her head. She never really had gone past that point, and never once managed to get the full history of the rulers from her mentor. It seemed that her mentor's bitterness held him back from teaching her the history of the Zora rulers._

" _I see, I suppose I shouldn't blame him. He's bitter towards the Hylians for a reason, and it isn't a matter either of us would like to dwell upon."_

 _The princess knew what his father meant. When she tried to get Muzu to speak and open up to her why he was so bitter towards Hylians, he snapped at her. It was the first time she had seen Muzu react so angrily, and it cemented her mind not to speak to him with that matter ever again._

" _Mipha, do you remember the story I've told you ever since you were little?"_

 _A nostalgic smile found its way to her lips, and she nodded._

" _Of course father, how would I ever forget? It was one you frequently told me about, and never once you skipped a night to tell me. I have it memorized down to its detail, and I would often supplement the details you would miss out."_

 _By this point, both father and daughter laughed. It was a fun laughter that carried over to the wild, as some of the fishes around them seemed to bask in its joy. A pleasant breeze passed through them, and a few of the birds chirped by. Once the laughter died down, the two continued to stare at the night sky. It was of comfortable silence._

" _Mipha, a ruler must have compassion. A ruler doesn't act people to serve one, but the ruler serves them. It is through compassion that a kingdom will have great prosperity."_

 _Mipha took his words in, but a frown entered her lips._

" _Father, why would just compassion be enough to bring prosperity? Isn't that the opposite of what the elders preach?"_

"Some _of the elders, dear daughter, but certainly not all- the elderly ones, those who have lived longer than others, were the ones who have taught me this fact. If it wasn't for them, our domain would certainly have a colder atmosphere. While it would still be warm and friendly amongst each other, it would not hold the prosperity that we all wish for."_

 _Her father turned to her, and Mipha was taken aback by the age that seemed to glow from his eyes. It spoke of her father's experience, ones that he had gone through. A strange inkling of strength resonated within her, and it wanted to reach out to her father._

" _Mipha, I wish for you to grow into the youngest of the story. We must lead our people not with power and authority, but through love and compassion. It is us the responsibility will fall to, and we must not abuse it. A domain governed by might and fear won't last. It would inspire rebellion among those who are of the stronger will, and it has happened more than once in the history of Hyrule."_

 _Mipha nodded gravely at that. She knew very well of the tribulations of what her people, and the other races have gone through. In particular, she felt the most sympathy for those of the Sheikah. They were those whose own strength was taken away out of fear._

" _However, father, wouldn't there be flaws?"_

 _Mipha spoke her words out, after she had given this compassionate rule further thought. It was a utopia for those under it, but not for those outside it. A utopia could not exist without a dystopia, and this was not an exception to that rule. As wonderful as it sounded, it was still one that Mipha wanted to happen in order to get rid of the weight that weighted down her father's shoulders._

 _Her father stayed silent. It felt like a few minutes have passed by before her father spoke out._

" _Certainly, it is not a perfect rule either. Indeed, there would be those who would seek to abuse the weakness of the royalty, and there would be those who would look down upon a race that only knows compassion, and none of brutality."_

 _Her father turned to her, and chills went down her spine. The glint in her father's eyes terrified her._

" _So, that would mean that we must be powerful as well to back it up."_

 _Her father stood up, and she quickly followed the same._

" _With great power comes great responsibility, and we are those in the role of power. While we know we are powerful, we must abuse it and remain compassionate to our people. However, it simply doesn't mean that we will not continue to sharpen our fangs."_

 _The grin on her father's lips that showed off his sharp fangs caused several degrees of warning in her head._

" _However, at the same time, we must not be blind of our own. Strip us away from our status, and we would not be any different from those we rule. We are all the same at heart, only differentiated with the gifts we have been awarded. I do admit that this utopia that I and some of the elders envision would be nigh impossible, but it doesn't mean it's not unreachable," he said as he'd gently patted her head. Mipha looked up, and her mind and emotions calmed down upon seeing the serene expression on her father's face._

" _Grow stronger and wiser, my dear daughter. Do not forget that while strength is important in our time, we must not forget to be compassionate. After all-" the refreshing smile was back to her father's lips that caused her to smile as well. "Despite all of the things and its benefits, our citizen giving the best and happiest smiles is truly the most wonderful gift we could ever receive as nobles."_

Mipha was _furious_ for the first time in her life. While surely she had been angry at the Waterblight monstrosity that she had faced, she had never been angered to this degree; not even when one of her people had been threatened had she reached this level. Her grip on her trident tightened, as the blood threatened to run from her fingers. If her trident were made of wood, it would have snapped under the pressure that the red head princess was pressing down on it.

The blond flop before her was an _insult_ to nobility.

The way he spoke how the commoners should simply follow nobility blindly was a _joke_ , one that completely threw away the responsibilities that came as a noble. He was a direct parallel to some of the Hylian officials, and that only served as fuel to add to Mipha's ire. It was as if it wasn't enough that only three out of all the students who were in the crowd had reacted to Guiche's attempted murder.

When the princess had read about the true state of nobility over the ages through the history books provided in the library, she had truly wished that it was all false. However, with how the blond almost killed the maid, she knew then that the abuse of the nobility was no fabricated truth.

Siesta hadn't even done anything wrong, she had only been doing her job, and she had only been unfortunately involved in a crossfire of the blond's womanizing. Instead of admitting the fault to himself, he had chosen to blame the maid, who hadn't even known what was even happening before her.

It was _reality_ in this world, and a _reality_ she rejected. She continued to stare at the blond, who could only gaze at her shocked and widened eyes. She had just pierced and beheaded one of his creations after all. It had collapsed before her like it was created from straw, and not metal despite its composition. Her trident's sharpness was not one to be trifled with, and this _boy_ greatly underestimated her.

Only that thought of him underestimating her had sent her temper roaring even further. She truly wished to teach this boy a true _lesson_. She was _tempted_ to draw from the ocean of Willpower roaring inside her, but she knew she shouldn't. She quelled her anger within her, and tried to clear her head. If she struck now, she might accidentally end up killing the boy.

As loath as she would admit it, she wasn't like Daruk or Revali who would act upon their emotions.

 _Besides, killing a child out of anger would be below me._

She wasn't like the insult before her, and she would never become him. She would only _humiliate_ him. So, she made her move. She loosened her grip on her trident slightly as she'd cleared her mind. She got rid of her anger that was clouding her thoughts, and it honestly took a while. Once she believed that she could truly act within reason now, she charged forward. In a sense, she used her legs to kick her forwards, which shot her forwards. Her eyes drifted around, and locked on the boy's legs. If she could stop the boy from moving, then she would win. It didn't seem like he was keen on moving as well, and would prefer to attack using his golems from what little Mipha understood from his body language.

"D-don't underestimate me, golems, get her!" the blond spluttered out.

It was of quick haste, and a panicked decision that caused him to create five of the same golems she had faced earlier. The five golems quickly raised their spears, and posed them to stab her.

 _Telegraphed attacks. Naïve._

Still, that sent Mipha's temper to a boiling degree once again. In the beginning of the duel, the blond had only said " _a"_ bronze golem. Not five.

 _Dishonourable._

She used her momentum, and swung her leg upward. While in the process, she jumped and allowed her to dodge the spears which shot out to strike thin air from where her abdomen was supposed to be. She felt the heavy ornaments on the side of her head clamp down her hair to avoid her ears from being announced to the batch of students that were watching the fight.

Internally, she sighed at relief with that. She had learned first-hand of how people reacted to _elves_ if they met one. While she was definitely one of them, she didn't wish to go through the possible immoral things they would do to her out of fear for their lives.

Once she twirled in the air, she stomped down the spearheads, and forcefully forced them on the ground using her momentum and weight. At that moment, she pushed forwards and swung her trident to behead the golems. Unfortunately, she lacked the momentum to behead them with haste, so she only managed to behead two of the golems while three of them managed to barely dodge her spear.

Instead of stopping with just one swing, she used her swing to circle around, and pierced one of the golems right through its head. She pushed forward, and, as she fell, she'd kicked the golem beside her. Her foot met the golem's surface, and it honestly felt the pain shoot through her limb. It shocked the anger out of her system by that point.

 _Okay, that ended better in my head._

She felt the flesh in her limb _shake_ after she kicked the golem. While it did its job to send the golem back and stumble with its partner, it _hurt_. She was sure she hadn't fractured any bones, but it seemed like her muscles would be sore for the time being. She wanted to use her healing ability then and there, but she was forbidden by Louise. While her healing wasn't exactly _magic_ , it seemed to be enough to create a general idea that it was.

 _But I used it before all of them when I was summoned. Did the students simply not notice?_

Perhaps, they were much ignorant than she thought. Still, she knew that wasn't a good reason to just pull out her healing ability. Instead, she shakily stood up and slid the trident off the golem's head. She turned to the other two golems, and hastily did fast work with them, so she wouldn't have to deal with them later.

The crowd was silent after everything that happened before them.

In the cold silence, she turned to the blond, who very visibly flinched and cowered from her glare. She supposed she couldn't blame the blond. After all, she was staring at him with disgust this time around. While she had been furious before, she never did show her disgust. She still believed that the boy was misguided and simply needed someone to correct that path.

She was proven wrong by his actions though. He had no honour at all.

Truly, he was an insult to nobility.

"F-for a commoner, you have done well!" he shouted as he'd raised his rose. By this point, the princess had enough of the blond.

"Isn't that enough?" the princess snapped coldly. While she was the most pacifist out of the champions, that didn't mean she hadn't scolded anyone in her life. She had truly scolded Sidon once before, she had scolded a few children, and chastised Daruk when he had pushed Link too much during the knight's visit at the Goron Village.

By hindsight, the princess noted that she could've handed this situation better, and with more tact, but her emotions seemed to have won out this time around. She had truly despised those who abused their citizens without realizing their feelings after all.

"Wh-what?" he asked.

"I ask again, isn't that enough? It's painful in my eyes to see a child act so foolishly."

"Fo-foolishly? H-how dare you, I'm a n-noble-"

"If you were truly a noble, then what's noble about our duel? You have set our terms of duel, and you have _stated_ the rules. You were only to use _a_ bronze golem and that golem that I _obliterated_ earlier was supposed to be my only opponent, yet you have summoned five more golems after that. Have you no shame, _boy_?" she hissed. Her words left her mouth before she could form a thought, and she was surprised to know that those words came from her own mouth.

It seemed like she had a lot of pent-up anger that she never realized.

"Wh-what?"

The boy could only reply that to her. Mipha was about to speak again, but, this time, her mind was ready to stop her. She quickly reigned in her emotions, even though it felt like holding back the angry waves of the ocean. She struggled within her, as her emotions tried to free itself from the shackles of reasoning. Once she finally felt the waters settle down, she sighed, and shook her head.

 _It wouldn't do for me to vent against him._

It wasn't the boy's fault, and it was the only thing that she realized now. If anything, it was the old nobles' fault that these children were acting like they owned the commoners. They were the ones who enforced the belief after all, and it passed on from generations to generations.

 _I see what you mean now, father._

It was at this point that had she noticed the crowd as well. There were lots of mixed reactions coming from the students between support, and disbelief. The ones she noted were the bluenette, who was staring at her, the pseudo-Gerudo who was smiling thinly, and Louise who was staring at her with stars in her eyes. Oddly, she noticed that the three of them standing together reminded her of Zelda, Urbosa, and her.

She immediately shook that thought of her mind. It wouldn't do her good to recall the past like that, and replacing people would never work out. There were simply some things that could never be changed.

Besides all that, the red head was happy that she had managed to give pride in her master. She turned back to Guiche, and spoke her piece that she had carefully crafted in her mind while she surveyed the crowd.

"There is no honour in this duel, and I am ashamed to have partaken in it," she admitted ruefully, as she eased her tensed muscles. She had already dropped her aggression, much to the blond's surprise. "Why do you seem surprised? Truly, there is no honour in this duel of ours. In the first place, this all stemmed from your desire to punish a maid, despite it was clearly you in the wrong. Your refusal to take action of your mistakes has led us into an unfavourable situation of me, pardon the term, _schooling_ you."

That sent some snickers in the crowd. Her eyes scanned the audience once again, and saw that some of them had grim expressions, while the rest either had humour or conflicted ones.

"I'm quite disappointed with the students gathered here too, with the exception of three people."

That seemed to have gotten a reaction, as a vast majority of the students gave her flabbergasted expressions. For whatever reason, Mipha didn't understand, so she sought to clarify what she meant.

"Siesta's punishment was a clear case of abused power, a clear case of injustice, yet only three of you have stepped up- my master, the girl with the blue hair, and the one with the red hair. Have you no shame as nobles?"

Normally, the students would have reacted, but a raised hand from Mipha stopped them. It surprised her that it did.

… _Actually, why do these people have a myriad of hair colours?_

The princess stashed that thought on the side for now. It was less important than what she was about to say. Though, now that she was pulled from her thoughts, the princess just realized something.

Speaking a speech like this was embarrassing.

Her cheeks were instantly flushed as she'd realized what kind of situation she put herself through. While, surely, she had her share of speeches back in her domain, it didn't make her situation any much lesser. She was still nervous speaking before a group of people, and that wouldn't go away.

However, the burning passion in her heart to teach these misguided children what's wrong urged her to continue with her speech. It simply didn't feel right if she left them like this.

"Be-before you say the same thing as this child over here, please reconsider your thoughts. The only thing that differentiates you right now is status, yet that won't affect what truly matters. All of us are the same. We are one of a kind, and we are one of heart," the princess said as she'd placed her heart over her chest. Though, she quietly noted that she wasn't exactly one of them, and it seemed to be a shared sentiment with her master when she saw her expression.

"Truly, tell me, what differentiates you from the commoners? Before your ancestors were nobles, they were commoners too, were they not? It was only after they were _gifted_ with magic were they able to become nobles- so, truly, what differentiates you from the commoners?"

Mipha couldn't help the slip of _vehemence_ in her voice when she spoke the word "gifted". Fortunately, much to her relief, no one seemed to have noticed the slip. Though, she couldn't be so sure. The bluenette had been staring at her intently, and it made her fidget from anxiety.

Still, it seemed like her intended message had come across. She saw some of the students, mostly females and a few males, had realization in their features. She saw one hand from the crowd slowly rise, and she looked at the person carefully.

It was a child with a brown coat, and she had brown hair. The princess nodded comfortingly at the child, who seemed to brighten slightly and spoke up.

"There is none."

That got the crowd to turn their attention at her. She visibly panicked as she'd tried to make herself look smaller. This made Mipha frown, as she'd slowly approached the child. The crowd parted for her, and the child was visibly frozen in her tracks. The princess realized that the frown might be scaring her, and she resisted the urge to scold herself for that.

She quickly made for a comforting smile, and asked her softly to continue her answer. It seemed to have done the trick, as the child seemed to be more comfortable, but spoke in a subdued tone compared to her clear voice from earlier.

"There is no difference between commoners and nobles. We are all humans, and we all feel the same. Without magic, we would be the same to them."

Mipha nodded. She comfortingly patted the girl in the head, and turned her attention back to the crowd.

"It's what the girl says. Nobles are no different from commoners; there truly is no difference, except for the power that they hold. However, those with power have a duty, and that duty is to serve the commoners."

That seemed to have gotten another rise from the crowd, and she raised her hand again. This time, that didn't stop the outcries from the crowd, and Mipha honestly felt a headache coming again.

 _Just why couldn't these be children be civilized?_

Still, she that wouldn't stop her. She let the crowd continue their outcry until they finally settled down. However when it was obvious that wasn't going to happen, she knew she had to speak out. She idly noted the bluenette, the pseudo-Gerudo, and Louise go around the crowd with the intents of calming them. It surprised her to see that Siesta was with them now too.

A small smile entered her lips when she saw the four of them work together. Though, she knew she had to continue her little speech. Honestly, despite the severity of the issue she was tackling, it still embarrassed her to speak so loudly about this.

"Then, what would happen if magic were to suddenly disappear?" she asked. That got everyone silent. This time, it was the blond who she fought was the one who spoke.

"Magic would never disappear!" he said, and a few of the students nodded their heads at that. They continued their uproar, until the red head spoke again.

"Truly, magic would never disappear. What I've meant was what would happen if you couldn't _use_ magic anymore?"

Now, that got everyone truly silent this time around. No one was replying, and not even the loudest of the bunch had anything to speak for that.

"That's-"

Mipha cut the student off. While it was rude, she had already expected the question, and she wished to cut the bud before it bloomed to create more problems for her to deal with.

 _Dear Nayru, I'm tired…_

"It already happened before. Before the time of the Founder, humans hadn't any access to magic. What if that was to be true once again? What if the elves have managed to find a way to reverse what the Founder gave?"

Her question was met with silence, and paled expressions. She added her last question hastily, because she knew that the students wouldn't listen to her if she didn't provide any further evidence. Mipha would have to admit, her tactic was rather underhanded, but she knew it was necessary to say as much. Although even she didn't know what elves could do, she hoped that was the same with the students when she asked that question.

Fortunately, it worked out for her.

"Please, think of that before any of you would do this again. Child, I would have you apologize to the maid, and once you do, I wish for it to be sincere."

The blond child could only nod, as he remained shocked of her question. She nodded to him, and turned to look at her master, who stared back. The pinkette nodded, and she smiled.

 _Truly, Louise and I have grown closer._

With that happy thought in mind, she had left the premises with her master in tow.

 **Siesta**

"Siesta, please, you have to help me!" a shaky voice pleaded the maid. The owner of the voice had a frail frame, peach skin, and looked very close to crying from the pressure. An amused smile entered the maid's lips, as she'd looked worriedly at the smaller figure before her.

"Hm… I don't know, I dare not to overstep my boundaries! While the students have been kind to us, we should not abuse it, and I dare not try to house the goddess from her devout believers!"

An increasing redness on the red head's cheeks only made Siesta grin wider.

"I-I'm not a goddess, not at all, please! Just hide me, I'll do anything for you!"

"T-truly goddess? You would do anything for me?" the maid asked, her voice turning shaky as well, as Siesta faked her tears. When she saw the red head nod eagerly, she honestly felt bad she was teasing her like this.

 _But, her reactions are way too cute~ Dear Founder, forgive me for I have sinned._

"Hm… No, that would be awful of me as a mortal! Ah, I must attend to my duties now, take care, goddess!"

The paling complexion on Mipha's face caused Siesta to finally drop her act and laugh. She felt a smack on her shoulders, which only caused her to laugh harder.

"Y-you!"

"A, goddess!"

"It's the goddess!"

"Eep! Siesta, please, hide me!" Mipha shouted as she'd dragged laughing Siesta along with her.

It's been a few weeks since the duel, and the event spread like wildfire during that time. The changes had been drastic in that time frame, that the maid honestly thought that what happened had been a miracle. For starters, the maid noticed that the academic staff had been increasingly lenient towards the commoners. Their pay check had increased, and they had been talking to them more often than before. One of them, the green haired secretary, had even gone as far as mingling with the maids, and often found themselves laughing, or chatting about nonsensical things.

Never in the history of Tristain Academy had the nobles been this kind to the commoners that worked there.

Siesta honestly couldn't believe it. How could people's attitude be changed over the spawn of a few days? It surprised her, that she found herself disbelieving of it until she received her third high pay check during those few weeks. That was when she tried to discover the reason why.

The answer came in the form of Mipha, who asked her opinion if she should take up the job the Headmaster offered her or not. Apparently, the news and what transpired in the event had reached the Headmaster's knowledge, and had been rather impressed with Mipha's words. He offered the role of a teacher to the red head, who simply didn't know what to do with all of her newfound fame.

Of course, Siesta, being the supportive friend she is, told Mipha that she should do what she believed was right, before congratulating her. A few days after that, she found out that the princess refused the position since it might already make her more popular than before. It was a sentiment that the maid could relate to. She hated the attention as well, and it was one she would rather avoid. She and the princess were kindred spirits after all.

Then, there had been the changes among the students. While a majority hadn't shown it, the princess' words have deeply affected them. There were subtle changes in their attitudes towards commoners, but they were very well hidden until one of her friends pointed out that she had been treated _respectfully_ by a third year student. Since then, the maid and her fellow commoners had put an eye and ear out to truly see if there were any changes. They had been paying attention to every detail, and they were very surprised and delighted to learn of the results. Some were even moved to tears.

Some of the students had truly changed. While there were a vast majority of those who still acted like they owned them and certainly only very few had changed, but it was a start for them.

Then, there was also the case of the noble involved.

Guiche the Manwhore had been less arrogant since that day, and had been treasuring more of his time with his lover instead of pursuing others. It was something Siesta honestly didn't believe in, until when the maid heard from Mipha that even she had stopped receiving love requests from Guiche.

That had honestly been a shock to her.

After all of these things, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Mipha was being revered to as a goddess by the commoners, and some of the students. In fact, it was something that Siesta had started calling Mipha, much to the redhead's embarrassment.

It was entertaining to see her face be as red as her hair every time Siesta made a mention of it.

Currently, Siesta was peeking out of a door. They had been running around the academy for a full fifteen minutes, until the maid suggested for them to use her room to hide Mipha. Of course, the maid could've suggested it earlier, but she had been having so much fun with the princess, despite everything. The staff building had a rule where no student was allowed to set foot upon its vicinities. Though, that rule wasn't clarified for human familiars, so the maid decided to use that as a loop hole to abuse.

"Okay, Lady Mipha, no one's around. Looks like you're okay to go."

"I-I'm saved…"

Siesta turned around with a barely hidden grin on her face. The red head was sighing in relief, as she'd held her hand over her heart.

"Truly, goddess, you should stop hiding yourself from your followers! It's not appropriate for a goddess like you."

"P-please, not you too! I had enough of that from Kirche," she groaned. Siesta raised an eyebrow, before she laughed.

"I see. Has she been overbearing to you?"

"Very, very much so! I had been scolding her every time, but she just kept calling me "goddess" no matter how many times I tell her not to call me that!" she ranted rather excitedly, which only sent the maid into another fit of laughter.

That was another thing that had changed for the past few weeks. Ever since their very short cooperation of calming down the crowd, they had grown into friends. She would meet with the Germanian red head once in a while, and the two would share their _risqué_ novels with each other, and excitedly talk about each and every one.

Siesta was surprised to know that she had so much in common with the Germanian red head.

For the bluenette, she would often encounter her in the evening when she would be flying around with her dragon familiar. While she hadn't exactly engaged plenty of words with the bluenette, it seemed like she had taken a liking to her as she began to receive books about general education from the silent girl. It was these books that made the maid cry for the first time in a few years. She was given a free chance to learn by a noble, no less, and she was going to make use of it well; hence, the reason why she suddenly had a wider range of vocabulary, and had been able to act really convincing.

Though, it was her relationship with the pinkette that have improved drastically.

 _The maid knocked on the door, and waited for a response. It was the break of dawn, and she was already doing her duty. Laundry was the first in her list, and she especially made sure to take Louise's first before anyone else._

 _Though, this time around, she was also here for another thing. On her hand was a tray of biscuits and freshly brewed tea._

" _Yes, who is it?" a voiced called out from the door. A small smile found its way to her lips, and she answered._

" _It's Siesta, the maid. I'm here to collect your laundry."_

" _Ah, come in."_

 _The moment she received the pinkette's permission, she entered her room. In the room, it revealed the pinkette who was currently sitting on a chair and using "Levitate" on a cup. The maid could tell that the young mage was concentrating really hard, as the pinkette's pupils seem focused on the cup. She was holding her wand and it was pointed at the cup without shaking. A thin light had been enveloping the cup, but for a moment it flickered._

 _Siesta continued to watch on in fascination as the pinkette slowly put the cup down. The young mage sighed in relief and wariness, one that caused the maid to chuckle._

" _Working hard?"_

" _Yes, very," Louise managed to say in between her pants. Siesta couldn't imagine herself doing this a few months ago, especially with how the pinkette had treated the staff. While she was still polite, the pinkette had been known for her spitfire comments, and Siesta was an unfortunate victim to one of her infamous scoldings._

 _Now though, it was different. While they initially had a respectful working relationship between noble and maid, it had gradually grown warm into acquaintances. That began once Siesta found out about Louise working her hardest just to use magic, despite her lack of talent._

 _It had honestly inspired Siesta, and she empathized with Louise. She knew what it felt like to work her hardest, even though she had no talent._

 _Then, after the event, the two had grown closer, and became friends. It had been an awkward and rocky relationship at first, since both didn't know what mode of conduct to use with one another. Their topics were all over the place, usually things that started off with the weather, then studies, then Siesta's hometown, and such, but the topics ended up being repetitive. Sometimes, it would be Louise who would be speaking casual. Other times, it would be Siesta. They never really got along during those times, but they stopped when they decided to compromise. They settled down with using casual lingo, mixed in with formalities._

 _Kind of how like Mipha treated everyone_

 _Also, they decided that if one wanted to talk, then they should do so. If there was no topic, they wouldn't need to think of a topic, and let the other be until they chatted. It wasn't one that Siesta liked, but when she remembered her own relationship with Louise's familiar, she agreed in the end._

" _Any progress?" she asked, as she'd taken the cup out of Louise's view. She gently placed the tray in front of her instead, and poured Louise some tea._

" _Yes! I've been able to keep the cup levitated for 3 minutes now, in comparison to yesterday. For the other spells, unfortunately I've been unable to cast any of them. It's annoying." By the end of her sentence, Louise began ranting about the unfairness of her affinity, and how much it annoyed her that Levitation was the only thing she could do. It had taken her the same amount of time of her holding onto Levitation to finish her rant, and she was left with a dry throat._

 _She proceeded to drink the tea, and nodded her head._

" _Fine tea, it seems like you've finally adjusted to my taste."_

 _Siesta felt happy about that, and bowed slightly._

" _I'm thankful of your compliment, Ms. Louise."_

 _The little spitfire just huffed, and waved it off._

" _It's not a compliment, it's a fact. It's still lacking in some areas, but it's definitely improving," the pinkette answered maybe a little too coldly. Though, the redness of her cheeks contradicted her tone, and the maid easily guessed that she was just flustered. It was one of the few things she liked about Louise; the pinkette was easily flustered, and she was adorable._

" _I see, I'll take that to heart then," she said as she'd poured her another cup of tea. Louise nodded her thanks, and began nibbling on her snacks. This time, the pinkette asked her._

" _How's Mipha doing?"_

 _Siesta was about to answer, when she saw a subtle sign of Louise offering her to sit down. The maid graciously accepted the offer, as a bright smile had entered her lips. Over the time she was with Louise, she knew that the pinkette was too proud to say the good will she had in mind. The pinkette huffing and looking away was a testament to that when she gave her a huge smile._

" _Oh, Lady Mipha's doing great, and her followers are just growing at each passing day. By this point, I won't be surprised if Lady Mipha became a goddess by this point."_

 _That got the pinkette to choke on her tea, yet the maid didn't do anything about it. She had purposely said the last statement to make Louise choke on her tea, and a mischievous grin found its way to her lips. Honestly, she'd never quite understood where she got these tendencies to tease other people, but she could blame it all on Mipha's adorable reactions that had started her teasing streak._

" _You're-you're rather brave aren't you, staring at a noble like that?" the pinkette asked with a dangerous tone that slipped into her voice. Siesta feigned innocence, and just calmly refilled the teacup._

" _I don't know what you're talking about~" the maid said in a singsong voice. The pinkette just continued staring at her, before she sighed and drank the tea again._

" _Well, at least she's doing better. If only I could invite her in the classes, but her presence made the teachers uncomfortable and some a little too excited…"_

 _Siesta nodded at that. She heard of rumours of teachers being cautious of what they say after Mipha's speech, and she couldn't honestly blame them. The results of the duel, and added that to the event of when a teacher tried to take the trident away from her, it would be no surprise why the teachers would treat her as such._

 _Still, it made her glad to know that Louise cared so much for her familiar._

" _You care so much for her, Louise, I'm a little jealous of that."_

 _The pinkette raised her eyebrow._

" _Ha? And why would I not be, she's my familiar, it's only a master's duty to look after them! Besides… she had helped me quite a lot," she spoke, though her voice trailed off by the end of her sentence._

Really, Louise was a good child. If only she couldn't be so prideful, then the men in the academy would've been lining up just to talk with her.

"Thank you so much for this, Siesta. I'll make sure to pay you back one day," Mipha said, as she bowed before the maid. Siesta quickly acted and waved her arms around. Now she felt bad that she actually enjoyed teasing her earlier.

"N-no, you don't have to, please raise your head. You've done enough for me by introducing me to wonderful people," the maid said, and that was true. She had truly become friends with wonderful people. Mipha straightened up by that point, and a bright smile was on her lips as well.

"I see. Still, thank you again, Siesta," she said as she'd left her room.

The maid just continued to stand there, as she'd recalled all of the events that happened to her. When she entered this academy and began working here, she hadn't expected anything like this. What she was expecting was an academy full of nobles who treated them like playthings. While this was the case at first until she developed her current attitude towards nobles, it was clearly different now. Here, she had made friends, both nobles and commoners alike. But most of all, she had developed courage.

All thanks to a certain red head, and the people around her. A tearful smile entered her visage, as she'd wiped the tears from her eyes.

Truly, she had been blessed enough, and she just couldn't ask for anything more.

 **Louise**

The pinkette stretched her limbs as she'd walked down the academy halls. She just finished her classes, and she was on her way to meet up with Mipha in the library. It had been a long day for her in particular, mostly because of the lessons that were taught today had already been taught to her by the princess. It honestly surprised her how much the red head had actually taught her. It felt nice for her to know so much already, and that put her ahead of her class.

Not to mention, she also managed to successfully show off her talent of magic this time! She had casted "Levitation" in front of everyone, and the shocked looks on Zerbst, and the teacher had been great. She had omitted their faces into memory, and she would never forget this moment. She vowed in her heart that whenever she would feel disheartened by her lack in progress, she would look upon this day and remember the Germanian's face.

It was _so_ worth it being able to hold Levitation for more than _five minutes_. She had even bested Tabitha, who was supposed to be the best wind mage in her class, by being able to keep a cup levitated even longer than her _with wind magic_. It was a small victory, surely it was, but it was a victory nonetheless! No one would call her Zero anymore, and she honestly felt proud of herself for being able to go this far.

And it was all takes to the private lessons that she was being taught by Mipha. Her teachings had definitely made an impact with her magic. While it was a little different from usual "magic", the principles were enough to give Louise a clearer view of how the elements work.

Though, the term "science" still hadn't quite clicked with her yet. It still sounded really weird for her.

She had learned to control her explosions now, and she could at least somehow cast "fireball", even though it was a huge deformed one. Instead of the typical orb of fire that would be formed and shot forward from the tip of her wand, it was more of the shot and explosion itself. In fact, you could mistake the shot as lightning instead of a normal fireball, but it didn't have the qualities of one. It didn't crackle, and it was silent. It even had a _stronger_ impact than a normal fireball, but she knew she just couldn't be able to just use that in public. It wouldn't do her good after all.

The last time she used one, she had actually managed to cause a wall to collapse. It had taken her a lot of Levitation and Willpower to get the wall fixed without anyone noticing. Thankfully, her red head tutor had requested Tabitha to soundproof their room in case something like this was to happen. Louise didn't know if she should happy, or offended by that. Either way, it helped her out greatly from trying to explain what just happened to the staff.

Though, they wouldn't be able to explain where did the cracks come from. At least no one would question them about that.

Once she reached the room where they were practicing, she opened the door. When she did, she saw Mipha, who looked strangely happier than usual. In fact, she was all smiles.

"Mipha, what happened? Why do you look so… happy?" she asked, genuinely confused why the red head was feeling this much joy. Don't get the pinkette wrong, she preferred to see the princess in a state like this, but she was just curious. It wasn't wrong to be curious why a person was happy, right? Then she must truly earn the right to know.

The answer came to her when the princess turned to meet her direction, and quite literally _created_ water from before her. Even weirder, she watched as the water changed its shapes into an elephant, a bird, a camel, and a lizard. The water then floated back to Mipha as she chuckled at the flabbergasted expression the pinkette had. With a snap of her fingers, the water just vaporized before her.

The event took a while for Louise to understand, as her mind raced with the implications. Once it settled down, a loud gasp came from her as she'd rushed forward to hug Mipha.

"You did it, you actually did it!" Louise said. Mipha happily agreed as she'd hugged Louise back with just as much vigor. "How did you do it? Even the Square Mages have a complicated time trying to draw water out of thin air, and requires to at least having the Wind element, yet you only know how to use water!

And how can you even control the water so masterfully like that without even needing to chant a spell or a focus? That was amazing!"

While the pinkette had heard of various performers, those who have performed the same feats as Mipha did, but they required a support team of Triangle-Class Wind and Water Mages to achieve the level of performance that Mipha just did, or for the mage to at least be at a triangle level to have Water-Water-Wind in their composition. To make things even complicated, she did all of that on her own, and without the presence of wind!

"I used the idea from mists. Do you remember what I have taught you, how water seems to hang in mid-air and how it creates mists and fogs? I've thought that perhaps I could go further than a mist, and I found myself creating water in no time!"

"But how can you control it so fluidly? I haven't seen anyone do it like that without having to chant, or use a magic focus!"

"That is something that I'm unsure of myself. I just had a feeling I could control it well, I'm sorry if my answer seemed unsatisfactory to you."

At this, Louise sighed.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped. One of those 'science' things that you can't explain, probably?"

"Yes, perhaps that's the one."

Honestly, Louise felt jealous of her. Mipha was able to reach magic of that high extent, yet she could only do basic ones like Levitation and Fireball. While she had been steadily growing on her own, she wanted to make things go faster for her.

 _No, it wouldn't be good for me if I'll stay jealous. I'll reach her level, I will!_

With that burning will, the science and magic lessons continued on that afternoon.

* * *

 **How was it? Was it exciting, was it heartwarming? Let us know!**

 **Side Note: I just noticed how similar the OSTs between FoZ and LoZ:BoTW are! You could swap their OSTs and it would oddly work out. I don't know, it's just the Himitsu OST sounds like a toned down version of the Guardian's theme for me when I heard it when I rewatched the first season, and it just clicked to me that the OST could totally be used in BoTW. I guess that's just me though *sweatdrops*** **~ Aria**


	8. Familiar Arc - Calm Before the Storm

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter!**

* * *

 _ **TRIGGER WARNING**_

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 **First of all, we apologize for the rather late chapter. Things have finally become busy for us, which was the reason why we were pumping out chapters like crazy for the past weeks in case this happened. To get you guys up to speed, we're about to become really busy with college work, and our uploading schedule will be quite unsure from now. Hopefully, we would be able to at least get two posts in a month, or three. We apologize for this, and, hopefully, the time between updates wouldn't be too much!**

 **Next, we would like to welcome all of the followers, and the peeps who placed this story to their favourites. Thank you so much for your support, and we hope that you'll continue to enjoy this little story of ours!**

 **Now, for the reviews~**

 **3697014, thank you for reading! Yes, we _updated_ fast, but now we're not so sure with our schedule. Hopefully, we would be able to keep a consistent one up, and we do hope you'll continue reading!**

 **Super heavy weapons guy, thank you for loving the story! It's only starting, and we're glad to know you love it already.**

 **Believe me, we want to give Link to Mipha as soon as possible, but he won't show up yet. She'll get him though! Maybe after a few arcs down the line hahahaha - Crowe**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for your support! We read the full review by the way, and we're glad to know that you liked the outcome! We honestly believe that the outcome was a little lackluster compared to others, but we truly wanted to portray Mipha as accurate as possible. Thankfully, it did well! More BoTW content will come in your way, perhaps earlier than you might think of. After all, there is already a BoTW content _besides_ Mipha. Well, not BoTW, but LoZ in general. Hopefully, you'll get to spot it, we've been hinting at it very subtly after all~**

 **And please, we don't mind the reviews, we love reading them!**

 **OmegaDelta, thank you for the support! Yes, we do wonder how as well, but hopefully it wouldn't be too _violent_ of a confrontation. Aria hasn't planned that far yet, hahahah xD**

 **ultima-owner, thank you for your support! We're happy you found the dressing down great. When we were talking to each other how it should go down, we struggled for a bit. It's great you enjoyed it!**

 **mega float guest, thank you for reading! Ah, we thought that the part where Siesta was teasing Mipha was a little too much despite her situation, so we added the disclaimer. Though, now that we think of it, it was just a heartwarming chapter.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thank you for reading! Ah, we're glad you've enjoyed the story to follow it, and, don't worry, we won't abandon it! We hate leaving unfinished works after all, we know the pain of reading a work unfinished xD.**

 **Guest, thank you for reading, and the heads up! We forgot about that until you pointed it out. We may have read too many FoZ fanfictions in our spare time before we began this story. We'll have that fixed in this chapter soon!**

 **Now without further adieu, to the story~**

* * *

 **Siesta**

The maid woke up early as usual, and a tired yawn escaped her lips. As one of the caretakers of the school, it had been her duty to make sure that everything was tidy before the students were awake, and after the students went to rest. It was a particularly arduous job, one that usually started from around 4 in the morning, and finished by 9 in the evening. There was only one break, and that had been lunch time. Dinner would be served to them the moment they finished their job.

Before the increase in her pay check, it had been an unforgiving job. It was unfortunately the closest to what Siesta could have that would provide a stable income to her family that didn't include selling her dignity; as a commoner as she may be, she still had standards and wishes to live a servitude free life. She would rather not spend her life under the clutches of some noble who would only use her for her body.

Siesta was aware that she was sought after by nobles. She could feel their gazes licking her body, and undressing her with their imagination. She was repulsed by it, but also scared at the same time. She knew she was only lucky that she hadn't been _invited_ by those nobles that sometimes passed the academy, and she dearly hoped that luck would hold out.

A sigh escaped her lips, as she'd stared at the notes she had placed on the top of her dresser. It had been her habit to write up the things she would need to perform the next day, so she could prepare for it. She left her bed with great reluctance, as she'd been unable to get some any proper sleep lately. Though, she supposed it was worth it.

She was able to deepen her friendship with Louise and Mipha after all.

She approached her notes, and idly skimmed through it. None of the things on it had been particularly appealing, except for the cooking part. She was great friends with Marteau and the rest of the chefs, so it was particularly enjoyable for her to partake in cooking. A thought crosses her mind which made her smile softly.

 _Hm, I haven't really found a way to get Lady Mipha in the kitchen yet, huh?_

Once the chefs heard that Siesta was great friends with the "goddess", she had been pestered nonstop by them to get Mipha to come to the kitchen. Initially, Siesta was surprised by this, and immediately rejected out of worry of what they would do to the red head. As much as she trusted them, she hadn't particularly trusted Marteau with the familiar just yet. As respectful of a man he was, he could really invade someone else's personal space without batting an eye.

What was normal to him was considered greatly abnormal by everyone else.

Once she got them to promise that they won't do anything to her friend, she reluctantly agreed. Apparently, they'd wanted to thank her for improving their status in the school by cooking a feast in her honour. Unfortunately, only Mipha was to eat said feast, and it was a detail that was said too late by the head chef. Siesta wanted to protest again, but the stars in their eyes mad it hard for the maid to take back her decision.

So instead, she internally wished the familiar luck, as she'd remembered just how much food the head chef could produce if he'd wanted to.

The noises from outside brought her out of her musings. She could hear her fellow maids chat with one another excitedly about the upcoming event in a few weeks from now. The event had something to do with the recently summoned Familiars, and how the students were to showcase their familiar's talents to the royal family. It had been a tradition ever since the academy was founded, but it was one that Siesta hadn't quite understood why it was created.

She turned her attention to the other bed in the room, and noticed that her roommate had already gone to do her work. She decided to follow suit, as she'd grabbed her spare uniform and towel. After she checked if she had everything, she exited her room.

"Ah, Siesta, you're finally awake~"

"You've been sleeping longer lately, are you doing alright?"

The maid blinked as she'd registered their words. She hadn't slept that long, right?

"Mou, Siesta's been sly lately. You've been hogging our goddess to yourself, right? Share her with us, it's unfair otherwise."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The two other maids laughed. Now that she realized, they were already wearing their uniforms.

"Anyways, you should prep up. You overslept for thirty minutes."

 _Thir-thirty minutes?!_

"Wa-wait, wait, wait, wait, you're kidding right?!" the maid asked as her voice hit an octave. The maids turned to each other, before they laughed and shook their heads. Immediately, Siesta set her gears, and sped off to the baths to wipe down. She didn't have any time left, so she completely ignored the other people who were greeting her.

Thankfully, the people were slightly accustomed to this. A few of them have been late, and it was a natural reaction among the staff members.

A quick wipe, and change later, she zoomed out of the baths. Unfortunately in her hurry, she hadn't quite noticed the red head who was passing by. A soft yelp and the two stumbled upon each other. The red head had taken the fall between the two of them, which put her in a compromising position with the maid. Siesta was on top, and she could only stare down at Mipha, who was staring back.

Slowly, but definitely surely, blood rushed to both of their cheeks. Siesta's eyes darted around Mipha's face, and inhaled sharply once they stopped in the familiar's lips. They were the perfect shape of a bow, and a natural pink. She gulped, as she'd heard her heart beating inside her chest. It was the first time she'd been _this_ close to someone else.

The tales of her _risqué_ stories popped in her head, and, if it was possible, her face flushed even further. How could she think such things! She was a princess, and she was a commoner, obviously it wouldn't work out between the two of them-

 _Wait, that's not the point!_

They were _females_. It was forbidden romance, and she knew that such a thing was several levels of indecency.

"Uhm- ah- er- can you- uhm, get off me?"

Unfortunately, the red head's words fell deaf on the maid's ears. The conflict in her head continued to roar inside her, and she felt like a ship being tossed in the middle of an ocean, or so how the phrase went. She just continued to stare until she was brought out by her musings when she felt something awkwardly moving before her. That was when she noticed that the princess was looking at the side with an uncomfortable expression.

"A-a-ah, I'm sorry! I didn't know what came to me," the maid said as she quickly got off the red head, and stood back up in minute time. She quickly held a hand out, which the red head accepted graciously. It was an awkward moment between them as both naturally timid characters looked anywhere, but each other.

"I-it's fine, I wasn't looking around properly. If I'd heard your footsteps, I would've been able to stop it."

"N-no, it's really really my fault! I was in a hurry, and- wait, I'm late!" Siesta panicked as she'd quickly run off again. "I'm sorry, Lady Mipha! I'll make up for it!"

She couldn't quite hear the red head's reply, as she'd already crossed quite the distance. If it were any other person, they would find it hard to run in the clothes she was wearing. Fortunately, Siesta had plenty of practice.

 _What was the first on the list again? What was it, I know it had something to do with- ah, laundry!_

Of course that was the first on her list. She had specifically put Louise on her top priority, regardless of her other chores. When she began doing so at first, she hadn't known if she would be allowed to continue. While it wasn't exactly uncommon for commoners to choose a noble they would follow out of their own volition, the practice wasn't seen in the academy. For one, all maids, butlers, and cooks here serve _all_ of the nobles in the academy. There weren't any shows of favouritism from the nobles either- well, most nobles anyway.

While Siesta wouldn't dare to think that she was a favourite, she had an inkling feeling that she had become one to the pinkette. The latter had already told her to drop the formalities with her after all, despite their standings.

She reached Louise's room without sparing any second left. She was already late, she couldn't afford to be any later after all. It would be a pain to her pay check.

She knocked on the door to check if the pinkette was awake. Usually, the young mage would be fast asleep during this hour of the morning, but, thanks to Mipha, she had been awake just as early as the maids. Her early mornings were all dedicated to the practice of her magic.

Cheerful words responded to her knock, and that got Siesta to wonder. Why did the pinkette sound happier than usual? Don't get the maid wrong, she would love to see the pinkette happy despite the maid's initial misgivings of her. She was just surprised that Louise, who wasn't a morning person, sounded so cheerful in the early morning.

She slowly opened the door, and saw a visibly happy Louise sat on a bed with a letter on hand. There seemed to be a pouch on the top of her dresser. Instead of its supposedly round shape, it was bulging with smaller round yet flat shaped pieces. The maid immediately recognized it as gold coins.

Now that surprised her. She hadn't seen that many gold pieces in one bag before.

"Uhm, I'm here to collect the laundry?" was all Siesta managed to call out as she drifted her eyes away from the riches before her. Her eyes landed on the pinkette next, who was still wearing her sleepwear. A note was on her hands, and her features were truly decorated with joy. It was something that Siesta hadn't seen before. While, surely, the pinkette had been happier lately, but there were still traces of hidden aggression in them.

It was like a bomb waiting to burst.

When Siesta didn't get any reply, she just walked over to the laundry basket and picked it up. She turned to Louise, who still seemed to be in a daze as she'd stared at the letter in her hands.

 _Could it be…_

"Louise, is that a love letter on your hands?" the maid asked teasingly. _That_ got the pinkette out of her musings, as she'd stared at the maid with a scandalized expression. Siesta laughed softly at her.

"N-no! It's a letter from my mom. I've written a letter to my older sister, and she had been ecstatic that I'm able to use magic now. The news got to my mom, who said that she would give me a gift for _finally_ being able to cast a spell!"

The sheer joy on the pinkette's face was infectious, as it even placed Siesta on a pleasant mood.

"I see, congratulations, Louise!"

"Thank you! Mipha and I plan to visit the town later, and buy some stuff to celebrate. Did you accept our offer?"

Siesta blinked.

"What offer?"

Louise blinked back. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, as she'd stared at the maid in confusion. It was a cute expression, and it delighted Siesta to see an expression different from her usual poker face, or scowl. Those two were the only expressions the pinkette had before she summoned Mipha after all. It was refreshing.

"Didn't Mipha tell you? She said while she's out to practice her spearmanship, she would tell you."

Siesta briefly remembered her encounter with the red head. She blushed quickly when she recalled their position, before she shook her head.

"I see, well, that's weird. She never failed a task before."

"A-ah, that's because I was in a hurry," Siesta admitted to the pinkette.

"Hm, I see. That makes sense, I suppose the two of you didn't pass each other."

The maid thanked the Founder that Louise hadn't seen her blushing expression. It would've been awkward to explain why.

"Well, since you're here, I m-might as well."

The young mage cleared her throat that elicited a reaction from the maid. Louise began to speak, but she stuttered her words too much to the point Siesta couldn't understand. As a result, the pinkette angrily stared at the maid, who flinched in response.

"D-did I do something wrong?" she asked. The pinkette shook her head, before sighing exasperatedly.

"I swear, I don't know how Mipha does it." Louise huffed, and turned her attention to the side. "Look. Just-just read this letter, okay?" The young mage reached underneath her pillow, and pulled out a folded paper.

Siesta tilted her head, and approached Louise. She took the letter from the pinkette's hands, and gingerly opened it with her fingers. She read the contents, and her eyes widened once she finished.

"A-are you serious about this, L-Louise?" the maid asked, her voice cracked and her eyes teary. The pinkette huffed and turned around.

"D-don't get me wrong! You've just been working way too hard for my sake lately, so I've thought I should at least indulge you like this. It's a noble's job to reward their servants!"

Siesta laughed at that before she wiped the tears from her eyes. She closed the note, and stored it on apron's pocket.

"I would be glad to go, Louise," she said thankfully, as she'd left the room with the laundry basket on hand. It seemed like today was going to be a wonderful day for the maid.

* * *

 **Louise**

The pinkette sighed tiredly as she'd watched the maid leave the room. Why was it difficult to extend an invitation, when she was the one who proposed it? Well, originally, it was supposed to be only her and Mipha. It had come to the pinkette's knowledge that the princess had been borrowing clothes from the academy due to the lack of clothing she was summoned with.

It was also the fact that the princess had been going _commando_ ever since her battle with Guiche. Apparently, the aftermath of the match had caused her bra to snap without even the princess realizing. There were no more small-sized bras in the academy, so she hadn't replaced it. That fact surprised Louise, and made her realize that she wasn't the only one who wasn't gifted with the upper assets.

Though, she would never admit that. She was still growing, and her elder sister Cattleya was a signifier that she could grow into a wonderful woman!

Although, she had heard of some nobles speaking about how she was a nearly complete clone of her mother.

Louise shook her head. It wasn't the time to sulk over chests. She still had to do something about correcting the red head's behaviour, and to budget the allowance she was given by her mother. It was a gift for finally casting a spell without its aftermath blowing up on her face. 300 Écu were inside the pouch, and Louise hoped that was enough to suit the princess' taste in clothing. The white dress that the princess had shown up with was of fine make, and Louise was concerned if she could find any clothes that could match that.

If she did, would her 300 Écu be enough? While clothes hadn't been particularly expensive, it was cheaper compared to other items in the market, but the quality of one could match a manor with a garden. While Mipha had said that she was fine with any ordinary clothes, that didn't set well with the pinkette.

Besides, she was also using this chance to thank Mipha for staying by her side despite everything the pinkette had put her through.

That was when both of them remembered one more person: the maid. Siesta had been there with them, and she had been supporting the both of them in the background. Mipha wanted to bring the maid along to thank her. Louise wanted to protest, but her words died on her tongue the moment she opened her mouth to refuse.

It was a feeling she couldn't understand.

She didn't want to bring Siesta along, because she had already balanced the allowance between them. Mipha was to receive 80% of the gold coins, while Louise was to receive the remaining 20%. She didn't want to give Mipha any lower than 80%, because she had truly given everything to bring Louise closer to her goal. If it weren't for her, Louise was certain that she would've been unable to cast any spell at all.

At the same time, however, she also wanted to bring Siesta along. While the maid hadn't done as much as the red head did, she still deserved a reward after her blatant servitude for Louise. It tore her for a bit, as she wasn't quite sure how she should split the gold now.

Well, the die has been cast. She had already invited the maid, and it would be rude and unhonourable of her to take back her offer just when the maid had already accepted it. She groggily left her bed, and walked towards her dresser.

A sigh escaped her lips as she'd though how she should split the gold. While it was rather unfair on Mipha's part, she needed to at least give the maid something. Louise thought more about it, before she finalized the budget. It would be a 70-20-10 split, Mipha will have the most, and Siesta will have the least. She went to open the bag, and she beheld herself on the amount of gold in the pouch.

As she'd reached into the bag to count off the gold coins for Mipha, she stopped.

 _Wait, shouldn't it be 60-20-20 instead?_

She just recalled the princess' personality. She dearly cared for the commoners, and if Louise just gave Siesta 10% of the gold, she might just disappoint the princess. The idea of disappointing the princess caused _severe_ amounts of dread to pass through her body.

 _Argh, why is this so hard? I want to give as much as I could to Mipha, but I don't think she'd like it._

If anything, it felt like the princess would appreciate it if Louise were to give Siesta more. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she'd unceremoniously fell back to land on the bed. A soft thump resounded in the room, as she felt the comfort of her mattress calm her thoughts.

 _Ah, screw it. I'll just give us 100 each. If the clothes for Mipha aren't enough, I can just give her some of mine. It's not like I've had anything in my list to buy anyway._

With that finalized budget, she sat back up, and proceeded to separate the gold coins. Once she was done separating them, she had placed the gold coins into their separate pouches, before she lied back down on her bed. It was still very early morning, and the two agreed to go out after lunch.

 _Have I written it down that the trip is after lunch?_

It had been quite the experience for Louise while she wrote the letter. Once in a while, she would check if the letter had the time written on it, and she would nod to herself once she saw it was there. However, give it a few minutes later, and she would check the letter again. It was her first time inviting someone else through a letter after all- she wanted it to be perfect.

She didn't need to worry about Siesta's work time. If a maid was called by one of the students, they were automatically relieved from their duties temporarily. Louise could only hope that Siesta wouldn't forget to say that to their manager, or things would be chaotic.

The pinkette bit her lip, before she sighed again. She reached out for her pillow, and hugged it. With her small frame, her pillow was more like a body pillow.

 _Ah, oh well, I'll just figure out later._

Now, she only had one problem left. How would she spend her time now? She was too active to go back to sleep, the excitement she felt from the letter hadn't gone away yet, and she felt too tired to practice on magic again.

 _I guess I can reflect on a few things today._

Since the pinkette had the time, she supposed she should do some self-reflection. It was something she hadn't done for quite some time, since she had been quite busy for the past several weeks. When she summoned the princess, she hadn't quite expected for so many things to change.

For one, she had been truer to herself more than ever. The new voice in her head had helped her significantly, and making decisions were remarkably easier now. She could express her emotions better, and the stress that was being accumulated inside her was significantly lessened. She felt happier, maybe even happier during her childhood days with the crown princess. It had gotten to the point where her usual arguments and snarky comebacks with the Germanian redhead had turned into harmless banter.

 _Soft pink hair fought against the wind as she'd hastily took a step to the side. Red hair blitzed through beside her, and she could feel the cold steel pass against her shoulder. It was a close one, if she had reacted one second too late, she could've been stabbed by the three prongs of the trident._

 _Still, she didn't understand the reason for this._

" _Excellent, your reflexes have improved. Shall we take a break?"_

 _Louise nodded tiredly, as she'd let herself fall down on grass, and caught up with her breath. On the corner of her eye, she watched Mipha, who was nonchalantly drinking water from a glass Siesta had provided. Said maid was currently in wide eyes, as she'd stared at Mipha in wonder._

" _You know, I was there when you fought Guiche, Lady Mipha, but I still couldn't believe my eyes," the maid said. The admiration and worship in her voice was glaringly obvious that even Louise had picked up on it. The red head blushed from the compliment, and set the water glass down on the tray._

" _Y-yes, I have been practicing with the way of the spear for years now."_

" _Eh, years? Since when?"_

" _Uhm, that's-"_

 _The pinkette continued to watch the interaction between the two, and couldn't help but smile. Mipha was adorable when she was flustered, and she never took compliments well. It was one thing that the maid shamelessly abused, and it often lead to Louise having to break it up, before Mipha decided to run away again._

" _Eh? Louise, what are you doing here out so early in the morning?"_

 _Irritation quickly found its way to Louise. She_ dearly _hoped that voice wasn't who she think she was._

" _Ah, Kirche, good morning."_

" _Good morning, goddess~"_

 _The teasing demeanour told the pinkete everything she needed to know. Unfortunately, the goddess nickname hadn't quite left Mipha, so her face was instantly flushed red. The princess fidgeted in place, as she quickly let out a reply._

" _I-I'm no such thing!"_

 _Laughter was a reply, and Louise groaned. She groaned even further when she looked straight, and saw an amused Zerbst looking down at her._

" _My, I wonder what's got you beaten down, Vallière?"_

" _You can ask Mipha for that one, she put me through this."_

 _The Germanian red head raised an eyebrow, before she turned her attention to Mipha._

" _A-ah, it's training."_

" _Training for what?"_

" _That's what I want to know too. She just pulled me out of the room, and a second later, she was stabbing me with her trident," Louise mumbled, and shot Mipha a brief glare. To her credit, the Hylian looked sheepish as she rubbed the back of her head._

" _Ah, I've observed in our battle against Guiche, that he only stood in one spot, right? If I pressed on my attack, I doubt he could've avoided my trident."_

 _A frown entered Zerbst's, and Louise's lips._

" _Why should he avoid your trident? The moment you get up close to him, he would just yield, and the battle would be over then," the Zerbst said out loud._

" _But that doesn't work in a real due. It would only get you killed."_

 _There was a strange amount of hardness in the princess' voice that it alarmed Louise. She looked at Mipha, who was no longer flushing and had a serious expression on. It was one of the rare moments she had seen Mipha with one._

" _But back then wasn't a real duel, and I doubt any of us will have to partake in one."_

 _The red head shook her head._

" _That's a naïve way of thinking. Surely, as someone from Germania, you must understand what I'm teaching, right?"_

" _Ah-"_

" _Self Defense?"_

 _That caused Louise to blink, before she looked up. From her spot, since she was laid down on the floor, she spotted a certain bluenette who was still reading her book._

" _Tabitha was here?" was what the pinkette thought. She hadn't noticed her at all, but it made sense. Wherever Zerbst was, Tabitha was there 50% of the time._

" _Yes, self defense. It's better to learn how to dodge an attack, rather than take a hit. Alright, Louise, are you prepared?"_

 _Louise groaned._

" _Give me a few more minutes."_

" _You know, it feels oddly nice to look down on you from this angle, Louise."_

 _The pinkette groaned._

Secondly, the "Rule of Steel". She hadn't thought anything in the lines of her mother's personal philosophy anymore, and she didn't know if it was for the better, or for the worse. While she could hear the cold logical side in her thoughts once in a while, it was mostly drowned out by the more optimistic voice. It was pure logic that had helped her go through her years in the academy, and she wasn't sure how to take its sudden quietness.

Personally, the pinkette thought that it was better for her to stop following the Rule of Steel. After all, she had only been following the principles of it:

You do not lose sight of your goal. Lose sight of it, and your life is forfeit.

You do not let emotions rule your thoughts. If you let such trivial matters affect you, you are not worthy to be dealt with, nor are you worthy with the power you hold.

You do not let others affect you. You can only rely on yourself, and the others will only serve as stepping stones for your own glory.

Do not trust anyone, but yourself and the Crown.

It was these principles that made her mother who she was today: the feared former leader of the Manticore Knights, Karin the Heavy Wind. However, behind those principles, was a main goal: to protect and serve the crowd before anything else.

It was a sentiment that Louise could agree on logically, but not entirely emotionally. She was human after all, and she still had selfish desires. She tried her best to serve the same goal, but she hadn't quite reached that. Maybe she had been pursuing the goal when she put Tristain first before Mipha during the darker periods of the summoning, but, other than that, there weren't any other instances that had Louise protect and serve the country.

She supposed that she should keep some of the principles, but modify it a bit to suit her current situation. After all, it wouldn't do if her mother found out that she had stopped following the Rule of Steel that had been drilled into her when she was a child. Cold sweat rolled down Louise's temples when she remembered the armor her mother would wear whenever she was punished.

She would need to hide this secret at all cost.

Then, there were also her schoolmates. While the bullying hadn't stopped in its entirety, she was being treated fairly well in comparison to the time before the summoning. Her fellow classmates had begun to respect her, but out of fear and admiration from Mipha at first. When she successfully managed to cast Levitate in the room was when they respected her as a fellow mage. Although she wasn't called a Zero anymore, she had been called something else.

"Louise the One Trick"

It was a nickname that annoyed her, but it was progress to say the least. When she first heard of the nickname, she was _very_ tempted to cast Fireball to whoever started that rumour. It took both her conscience, and Mipha to convince her that it was a bad idea. Until they find a way to limit her Fireball's explosion, she shouldn't use it.

 _Though, if it was a Fireball in the first place._

Her magic was the last thing that had changed dramatically over the past few days. The pinkette and red head had focused on her Fireball for the past few weeks, but they didn't have any luck with containing its explosions. If she didn't know better, she would've thought that she had created a whole new branch of magic.

It didn't help that her Fireball lacked any of the fire attributes to be considered a "fireball", but the heat it radiated was enough to be considered a "Fire" ball. The trail it leaves was fire-like in intensity, and Mipha had confirmed it was fire; though, Louise did spot Mipha mumbling something about "Guardian" and "Arrow", so Louise hadn't discounted the possibility that it wasn't a Fireball that she casted.

It was weird on how her magic worked. It was as if she was tailored to use magic according to the "science" that Mipha was explaining to her. It wasn't like Louise was complaining, but she would need to keep this a secret. She could very well be branded a heretic.

The pinkette sat back up, and she stared at the wall in contemplation. Maybe she should start learning how to use other spells, she had pretty much used up the last few days on her Fireball spell. She glanced outside of the window, and noticed that the sun had finally decided to show up. Its morning rays blanketed the dark blue sky on the horizon, and it felt nice to look at.

A soft smile entered the pinkette's lips, as she'd yawned. It seemed like she's felt a little tired recalling about all the things that happened. She slowly closed her eyes. Maybe she could get some sleep.

* * *

 **Mipha**

The princess stared at the horse before her, as the horse stared back. Its brown eyes seemed to gleam in curiosity, as it inched closer to the princess. The princess softly smiled, and held her hand out. The horse leaned its muzzle to her hand, and the princess giggled when it did. It was such a cute action, as she brought her other hand up to pet a horse.

"You're familiar with horse riding, Mipha?" she heard someone ask her.

"Yes, and I know quite a few tricks myself. Unfortunately, I haven't ridden one in years. "

Well, perhaps _years_ was an understatement. She was taught how to ride a horse, but not quite found the time to ride one again. Since she was a Zora, there was no need for her to use a land transport like a horse when she could swim down the rivers to reach their destination. Her feet couldn't also reach the stirrup of the saddle, so there had been customized saddles for the Zora to use. Though, that was just the biological reason.

Another reason was, although Mipha couldn't quite remember why, she loathed riding a horse.

"Hmm… I suppose, it's natural. Even the royal families are taught horseback riding here, I suppose it's not different to this 'Highrule' place you call?"

Mipha chuckled at that. It had been an odd struggle for the pinkette to pronounce the names of the places back at Hyrule. Quite frankly, she felt bad for her, but she supposed she couldn't blame the pinkette. From what little the red head could understand, their language had been vastly different from back home.

Still, it was a surprise to her that she could read the books without learning the language. Truly, magic was wonderful.

"Yes, it's no different from back home."

Home. It was a word that always gave the red head a bittersweet feeling. While she knew for certain that she could no longer go back, the now somewhat calm events that had been transpiring made her homesick. The early mornings of her practice, her interactions with Siesta in the afternoon, and her lessons at night with Louise were somewhat paralleling her time of growing up in the Zora Domain.

While she had been dealing with better experiences as of late, she still couldn't quite quench the yearning in her heart to see her loved ones. She dearly hoped that her father and younger brother were doing well, and Hyrule was saved from Calamity Ganon.

"-pha, Mipha?"

The princess blinked into reality. The soft words and the tap on her shoulder brought her out of her musings. She looked at the pinkette, who was staring at her with those big worried brown eyes.

 _Ah, I've made her worried._

Mipha smiled sheepishly at the pinkette. She shouldn't be feeling like this, they were about to embark on a trip after all. She gently caressed the pinkette's head, and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, little one. I was just thinking for a bit."

She hadn't noticed she reverted back to her formal tone. She was worried when she saw pinkette open her mouth, but was interrupted by a voice from afar.

"Lady Mipha, Louise!" the voice called out. The red head sighed in relief, while the pinkette looked irritated. The princess smiled wryly at Louise. She made a mental note to thank the maid, and make up with the pinkette. She just didn't wish to speak about her homesickness. It would only plant needless worry in the pinkette.

"You took a while," the pinkette said grumpily. The princess felt sheepish for being the one who caused her change in mood.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to have my letter to my younger brother delivered. I've had it delivered now, don't worry!"

Mipha gave the maid before her a better look. She was wearing a simple brown dress, and a white cloth tied on the top of her head. On her arms was a basket, presumably to carry the items they were about to buy.

"It's the first time for me to see you outside of your uniform. You look wonderful, Siesta."

The maid blushed, and stuttered her thanks from the sudden compliment. The red head chuckled with her actions, and turned to the pinkette, who was frowning at both the maid, and the red head. She sighed exasperatedly, before climbing aboard her horse.

"I swear, the two of you can be so alike sometimes, that it's creepy."

Mipha laughed at that, as she'd climbed her horse. She turned to Siesta, who seemed unsure of what to do.

"Ah, Siesta, get on board with Mipha."

"A-ah, okay!" the maid said nervously. Mipha nodded, and moved a bit to give the maid some space to sit on. She turned behind her, and she was surprised as the maid managed to climb aboard fairly easy.

"You're used to horseback riding, aren't you?"

"Eh? Ah… Yes, my family lives and works on a rural area, so learning to ride one is a little essential."

"Hmm, I see." Mipha nodded, and turned her attention to the pinkette.

"Follow my lead," the pinkette said, as she'd nudged her horse to start moving. Mipha did the same, and with the first few trots, Mipha finally remembered why she loathed riding on a horse. It hurt her behind, and it hurt just as bad it hurt her when she was a Zora.

And she had to deal with this for a few hours?

"Ah, we should speed up. If we move by this pace, we might get there before dinner, and that isn't likable," the pinkette said as she'd squeezed the sides of her horse to go faster. She noted the young mage enter a higher position to stop her behind from hitting the saddle, and lighten the weight on the horse.

It seemed like she should start to do as well.

 _Dear Nayru, this is going to hurt._

Mipha squeezed the sides of her horse as well, and positioned herself wherein she wouldn't be bouncing on top of the saddle. The squeeze on her sides though made her realize that she had a double behind her, and she would need to adjust her positioning.

 _I repeat. Dear Nayru, this is going to hurt._

Why couldn't they afford to have three horses, the princess would never know. Why it would take _three hours_ on horse to reach their destination, Mipha would never know, and the fact they were going there with three people in three hours, and they couldn't afford three horses, the princess would never know!

Though, the winds as they'd cantered and galloped their way to the town felt nice. She idly took in the change of scenery, as she'd enjoyed the change of view between the isolated academy, the beautiful lush forests of Tristain, and the town beyond the forests. It was a beautiful experience to her.

Every blade of grass, wildlife, and flower they came across, Mipha had the desire to stop by, and just bask in nature's beauty. She even spotted a river coursing by, and she just had to hesitate herself from jumping off their horse, and take a quick dip on the cool-looking waters.

She would readily admit that she _dearly_ wished soaking in the cold waters of nature.

Though, as much as she'd enjoyed the ride, she was cautious. Her training with the Rito Champion had intensely honed her senses to the point that nothing could get past her. It was a useful skill that served her well during her match against that… monstrosity.

She shook her head, as she'd declared her thoughts away. No, it wouldn't do her well if she were to think of that thing. She should focus on what was present. Like the presences tailing behind them.

While Mipha knew of the presences that tailed them, she couldn't exactly tell how many were tailing them. Only a seasoned warrior would be able to tell, but, even then, it would only be close to guess work, and nothing else. While Mipha knew it was the best idea to tell the other two companions she currently had that they were being tailed, it might just bring needless panic that could not only ruin their trip. She didn't want that. Besides, if push were come to shove, the princess could use her newly discovered affinity for Water Magic to get them out of there regardless of what Louise told her.

She had especially learned how to _weaponize_ temperatures with water for such occasions after all. Of course, she wouldn't harm a soul with it, but if the situation were to call for it, then she wouldn't hesitate. Unfortunately, rising the temperature was harder than dropping it, so she might just settle with dropping the temperatures instead.

"We're nearly there, can you see it?" Louise called out from her steed. Mipha immediately looked over to the distance, and saw the vague shapes of a town.

"Yes, yes I do!"

"Let's slow down our horses now. The town's guards would be ahead, and there's a stable where we can have our horses rest in."

Mipha nodded, and followed her lead. She gently shifted her weight down on the saddle, and she felt Siesta do it as well. The horse seemed to notice what they were doing as it slowly changed gears from cantering to trotting. It caused no small amount of wonder to enter her expression.

"These horses are very well trained, aren't they?" she wondered out loud. She heard giggling behind her after her statement.

"Why, of course. They were handpicked, and trained by the royal family's personal trainer for the students and staffs' convenience," the maid informed her.

"I see" was the princess' reply. She softly patted the side of the horse's neck, and her mount nickered happily in return. It was an uncomfortable silence since then. The princess' tension affected the pinkette and the maid, who seemed to be cautious now as well. Mipha heaved a tired sigh. Sometimes, being trained to reach this high wasn't worth it. She tried to relax, but the pinkette only gave her a frown.

"Ah, Louise, is there something you could tell us about this town?" the princess asked out of desperation. The pinkette looked relieved that the princess asked that, but also mildly annoyed at the same time.

Honestly, Mipha couldn't fathom just how Louise could mix two opposite emotions in one, and express it _perfectly_.

"Ah, this town doesn't have a name- which is weird now that I think of it. It's been here for a long time now- but it has all sorts of attractions, I guess. I honestly couldn't understand the attractions myself, what is it with the inns, casinos, bars, and such with you commoners?" Louise asked, as she'd tilted her head to face the maid behind the red head. The red head turned around as well, and saw a sheepish expression on Siesta's face.

"Ah, it's the feeling, I guess? We enjoy them, so, yeah," she said. From what Mipha could tell, the maid seemed unsure of her answer as well. This time, it was Mipha who tilted her head.

"Eh, does that mean you don't partake in them?"

"Ah, it's not like I don't partake in them, but I'm mostly on the other side serving, so I never really got to enjoy, uhm, the stuff we provide."

The princess nodded at that.

"I see. One day, we'll make that happen, right Louise?"

"Erm, yes, we will. It's a shame we can't do that right now," the pinkette answered, albeit a little shakily.

"Halt, who goes there?" called out a masculine voice. Mipha watched curiously as the pinkette straightened herself, and stared at the guard in the eye. While they spoke, the princess was heavily criticizing the guard's armor.

Honestly, it was lacking.

"We're from Tristain Academy of Magic. We're here to make a purchase in the town."

"Ah, I see. Then, I suppose you know where to lead the horses, miss?"

"Vallière, and yes, we do."

The guard nodded at her answer, and stood guard. The princess raised an eyebrow at that. She turned to Louise, who was steering her horse to the direction of the stables. Mipha did the same, and once they set the horses to rest, and inside the town, she quickly approached Louise.

"The guards here are rather lacking and too trusting, aren't they?"

The pinkette just shrugged.

"Guards or not, they're just commoners as well. If a noble tells them that they know what they're doing, the guards would just need to nod, and let them do as they please. It's a common thing among here."

Mipha bit the insides of her cheek to stop herself from clicking her tongue, or show any form of distaste.

"I see," she managed to say out from her gritted teeth. Louise smiled shakily at her. There was a tugging in her back, as she'd turned around to see the maid giving her a shaky smile as well.

"Don't worry, we really don't mind. As grateful as I am to you for being able to raise our status at the Academy, Lady Mipha, but it would be better if you don't do the same here."

While Mipha wanted to retort that, the courage in the maid's eyes stopped her from speaking. She could only nod in response. She decided to just shelve the idea of reprimanding the nobles later, and with privacy if possible. She was still under orders not to cause a scene after all.

Fortunately, her bitter mood had gradually disappeared, as she'd admired the craftsmanship of the buildings. It wasn't exactly any different from the Hylians, but it was still fascinating due to the very slightly cultural changes that couldn't be spotted for any ordinary people. The princess, having lived in Hyrule for as long as she could remember, she immediately spotted the minute detail the buildings had.

They were certainly sturdier, and looked reinforced by magic. The only reason why she could tell that the building materials were reinforced by magic was because of the lack of erosion on the buildings. They all looked brand new, as if they were just built, yet even that should be impossible.

Mipha supposed that with magic, anything was possible. Despite her better and more familiar way of dealing with magic compared to what the students were taught, she was still a novice to magic. While she knew she could use intermediate to advanced and expert spells, courtesy of Louise constantly shouting in shock, the only reason why she could use said spells in the first place was due to her superior knowledge of water. Well, it was only natural, of course. She was a Zora, and knowing everything there is about Water was her kind's specialty.

Although, she supposed she could also attribute mixing up the spell theories she read, and experimenting a little on her own. Her healing abilities also gave her a boost how to interact with the ocean of Willpower inside her, and her application of her Grace was translated into her application of magic.

"So, Louise, where are we going?" the princess asked as she'd checked the small bag pouch of gold coins on her hips. When she felt its familiar weight, she sighed in relief. The horseback riding had been hectic after all, she as glad it didn't fly off or anything during the travel.

"The best clothing store there is here."

Mipha flinched at that, and that didn't escape the maid's sight. The maid looked worriedly at Mipha, who quickly shook her head at the maid.

"It's nothing, really, nothing."

Louise harrumphed ahead of them, and Mipha sighed tiredly. Just a few hours before they left, she was lectured _again_ by the pinkette how important it was to wear the weird Gerudo top which apparently what was called a "bra". Honestly, Mipha couldn't quite understand the point of a bra. She was wearing something on top already, wasn't that enough? Well, for the pinkette, apparently not.

When Louise sharply turned at the red head, the latter shrieked for a short second. The pinkette was glaring at her with so much force that Mipha swore that if she were any lesser than she was now, she would've buckled, and kneeled down before the pinkette.

"Yes, we're getting you a bra, and there's nothing you would say that could stop me from buying you one or five."

The red head just simply hung her head low at that. Well, she supposed it was embarrassing to not wear a bra. Her mind seemed to have been changed to make her feel embarrassed whenever someone or the idea of someone seeing her naked, despite being used to being practically naked for her entire life as a Zora. That feature was too convenient, really.

She supposed she could pin the blame to whoever sent her here.

She saw the pinkette stop before a store that said "Arachne Tailor". She peeked at the windows, and her eyes immediately widened when she saw the dresses. They were absolutely stunning, and they looked even greater compared to Zelda's royal dress.

"Well, here we are," Louise said as she'd dragged her into the store.

"Oh, welcome, welcome to Arachne Tailor!" a cheerful voice called out. Mipha turned her attention to the voice, and she was quite surprised to see the voice's owner. It was a little girl, perhaps 12 in age, and she had white hair, and red eyes. It seemed like even her master was taken aback, and gazed at the little girl, who was younger than her in age.

"C-cute!" the maid called out, which made Mipha jump. She had completely forgotten about Siesta. It seemed like Louise too.

"Si-Siesta, don't just call out like that!" The pinkette scolded. The maid shrieked, as she'd apologized instantly, before she returned to stare at the little girl unabashedly.

"I'm sorry Louise, but she's so cute!" the maid said as she'd rushed over and immediately hugged her. The little girl complained for a second, before a resigned look entered her face, and just let Siesta hug her. Mipha could only guess that she was used to the treatment.

"A-ah, I'm sorry for the maid there," her master called out.

"No, no, it's fine. One of my regulars do this quite often to me, I'm used to it."

The _zero_ emotion in her tone sent shivers down Mipha's spine the bad way. She wanted to coo the girl, and tell her that it was alright to be hugged like this, before she remembered that if she did, she might just hug her too. A glance at Louise told Mipha that the pinkette was struggling to stop herself from doing anything.

 _Ah, her too. Seriously, this child's charms are too much._

A tired sigh escaped Mipha's lips.

"A-anyways," Louise said as she'd cleared her throat. "We're here to buy some clothes, particularly for Mipha here."

When the little girl turned her gaze to Mipha, the princess felt threatened. She didn't know why, but it felt like she was in danger if the girl were to have her hands on her. It didn't help that the girl's beady red eyes were staring at her like she was some sort of doll to dress up. The princess took a visible step back, and couldn't quite ignore the little girl's intense stare.

 _Wh-what is it with me? I have faced Waterblight Ganon, surely this child shouldn't be a threat yet-_

Then it hit her. The child was certainly no threat to her physically, definitely not. However, that didn't mean the child wasn't a threat to her mentally though. When the child slowly began to smile, the princess took a step back. She had the sudden urge to protect herself at all costs.

"Okay! Do you know your measurements?" the child asked.

The feeling of dread settled down in Mipha as she'd shrieked as an answer. She slowly shook her head, as she continued to stare at the white child in alarm. She didn't like this feeling coursing inside her, and her every instinct was telling her to _run_.

"Wha- Mipha, what's wrong with you?" Louise asked.

"Oh, are you embarrassed? Don't worry, it happens to first-timers!"

It seemed like even the maid had felt the pressure as she'd immediately backed off from the white haired child. The child slowly stood up, and Mipha swore, she had never felt this much fear in her entire life. The little child stumbled around in her desk, and pulled out a weird line that had markers on it.

"Now, miss customer, please follow me to the measurement room~" the child said. It was by that point that Louise had finally felt why the princess looked so alarmed.

It was also by that point that Mipha turned around to run to the door.

"You're not getting away!" the child said behind her as she'd rushed to the door. She felt a pair of small arms hug her waist, and she yelped at the contact.

 _Fast, she's fast!_

She turned to look behind her, and immediately regretted that decision. The child's red eyes were bright with anticipation and excitement.

"It's my first time to have someone as beautiful as you to be my customer, so please, let this happen!" the child said, as those accursed red eyes seemed to get bigger, and tears started forming on the edges of her eyes. Mipha knew that those were fake tears. She was very familiar of this puppy-dog-eyes tactic. She had used them on her father before after all!

"F-fine, but nothing suspicious!"

The words escaped her mouth before she could think about them. When they finally clicked in, the red head stared in horror at the child, who had dropped her act and was grinning widely from ear to ear.

"To the measurement room!" the child said as she'd managed to _drag_ Mipha to the room. Mipha yelped, and pleaded Louise to save her, but she was only met with a grave expression. The pinkette shook her head. She turned her attention to Siesta instead, who was acting ignorant by looking through the clothes already available in the store.

"T-traitors!" Mipha cried out as she watched the light of her salvation diminish as the doors of the measurement room closed on her.

"Now, strip!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

It was a moment that Mipha would never forget, and one that would plague her nights forever.

* * *

 **Siesta**

When the noises from the measurement room had finally come to a stop, the maid worriedly turned to the pinkette who was biting her thumb.

"What we did, was that the right decision, Louise?"

The pinkette shook her head, as she'd continued to stare at the room.

"No, definitely not, but it was the only thing we could do. Mipha doesn't know her measurements, and I don't know how to take measurements. I just had my servants do it for me."

The maid nodded sadly at that, but held her piece. She _knew_ how to take measurements, it was something she had done for her younger cousins, and siblings after all. If she said her piece right now, Louise would simply lecture her.

Siesta was a growing girl. She had learned from her experiences with the spit fire that she should keep her mouth shut, lest she will suffer from the pinkette's wrath. When the door opened, it revealed a happily humming white haired child.

"Please bring her to the dressing room. I have loads of clothes for her to try out! Oh, and don't worry about the payment, it's all free. You too, maid, you can just pick whatever clothes you want! It's been a while since I've had fun like this~" the child said. The way the child said it sent shivers down her spine, as she'd watched the child skip away from them. The maid and Louise looked at each other, before they immediately rushed inside.

Mipha was sitting on the floor, with tears on her eyes, and a flushed face. She looked like she had been crying for a while, and Siesta couldn't help but feel sad for her.

"M-Mipha, are you okay?" Louise asked. Mipha stared at the two of them, and the broken hearted gaze the red head had hurt Siesta. Though, knowing the situation, the hurt had turned into empathy. She had read of similar situations in her novels before, and had gone through such a situation with her cousin, Jessica. She knew fully well what Mipha was experiencing.

Though, she hadn't known that the feelings for the familiar were intensified.

"Th-that was embarrassing, I-I feel like I would die from the embarrassment. I want to crawl into a hole and never show my face again, sh-she just saw me naked and to-touched me all over, and I-I can't," the red head said feverishly. In the time it took Siesta to blink, it was apparently enough for Louise to go to her familiar's side and hug her.

"It's okay, it's okay," the pinkette said as she'd caressed the red head's hair.

"What's even worse is I'm only a few inches bigger from what the child calls an "A cup"!" the princess said as she'd hugged the pinkette back. Siesta watched in slight amusement as the pinkette looked mildly irritated from what MIpha just said.

Siesta had a feeling that if she were to comfort the princess now, it would only make the situation a lot worse. After all, compared to the princess, she was well-endowed. The sad feeling in the princess would only go bigger. Still, the ever kind maid she was, she still tried to comfort Mipha.

"D-don't worry, you still have time to grow!"

The two stared at her. When their eyes trailed down and glared at her chest, it confirmed that she should've just followed her feelings. She squirmed in place as the two continued to glare at her. Her mind frantically tried to find a way out of her situation, and her answer came in the form of the dressing room.

"A-ah, we should bring Lady Mipha to the dressing room just as the girl ordered us to do, right?"

When Mipha stiffened up, Siesta knew she said the wrong thing.

"N-no! Louise, can we just go to another store? I already know my measurements, please-"

"Hey, where's my dear customer? I'm the dressing room now!" a small voice called out from outside. Mipha stiffened up again, and she stared at Louise with pleading eyes. The pinkette looked conflicted, before she shook her head.

"N-no, she already offered us that we won't need to pay, so we can get you and Siesta as many clothes as we want, so we can't really leave now."

Mipha turned to Siesta this time.

"S-Siesta, is that true?!"

Siesta nodded her head, but she quickly shook her hands. "Don't worry, I can make sure you'll get the nicest clothes in town!"

The resigned expression on the familiar's face told her everything she needed to know. She walked over, and awkwardly comforted the princess, who glared at her chest.

Honestly, it wasn't her fault that she was born with great gifts!

"L-let's go. The faster this ends, the earlier we can leave," Louise said as she'd helped Mipha stand up. The familiar just nodded her head, and walked towards the dressing room. Siesta helped to support Mipha as well.

"Finally, you're here~! Look, I have all of these wonderful dresses all lined up for you," the child said as she'd raised the _absurd_ amount of dresses on her small arms, and hands. How a child could have that much strength, she would never know. She could also spot a few underwear tossed in the pile, but the maid blushed when she realized they were all _lingerie_ and _babydoll_ .

"P-please, have mercy," the princess quivered out as she'd looked ready to bolt out of the shop. The maid couldn't help but be curious of what exactly happened behind the measurement room.

"Nope~!" was the child's reply as she magically managed to drag Mipha out of their grasps. The two disappeared inside the white curtain, where they could hear the enthusiastic voice of the child, and the ruffling of clothes.

Siesta turned to Louise, who could only stare blankly at her.

"… I don't even know what's going on anymore," was the pinkette's reply. Honestly, Siesta didn't know either, and just resigned herself to choosing clothes that she liked to bring home. Some time had passed, and the maid was starting to get worried. The light outside was starting to get dark, which meant that dusk was already at hand.

On the other hand, the pinkette looked very worried, and wanted to just barge into the dressing room. It took several minutes from Siesta to convince the pinkette that would only affect Mipha badly since they would be practically showing her body to the public.

Finally, the child had come out of the dressing room. She was holding _significantly_ lesser clothes, and it seemed like the most _alluring_ of lingerie and babydoll were the approved ones. She wiped the sweat off her face, and she had a big grin on her lips.

"It took a while for me to get her dressed, and her insistence to keep her hair down and her ornaments were a slight pain, but it was all worth it! I'll pack these clothes up, and I took the liberty to make her wear something new tonight. She'll be a hit among the men~" the child said happily as she turned to her counter to pack the clothes. Siesta had missed the panicked look on Louise's face as she'd continued to stare at the child.

 _This child, is she even a child?_

"F-finally, it's over," a shaky voice said from the dressing room. The curtain was pulled aside, and revealed Mipha with her new clothes. The maid froze, as the clothes she had chosen all fell on the floor. The red head was absolutely stunning.

She was wearing a white sleeveless dress that stopped at half of her hips. The upper part of the dress was hollowed out and vaguely covered by white lace. It still left a portion of her chest to be seen, particularly the _valley_ between her hills. The white lace itself had a rose pattern that was repeated throughout. For her arms, they were covered by white lace arm warmers.

For the lower part of her dress, the edges of her skirt were embroidered with blue intricate flower designs. When Siesta's gaze went lower, she felt warmth crept up her cheek, and she glanced to the side and saw Louise with red cheeks too. After all, Mipha was wearing _white lace stockings with a garter belt._ The suspenders made it obvious.

Siesta had a nagging feeling that the red head was wearing lacy underwear too.

"Y-you look great, Lady Mipha!" Siesta squeaked out, and she heard Louise mumble in agreement. When she stared at the red head again, the poor familiar was squirming in her place too, and her face was completely red from embarrassment.

"I-I see, thanks."

The rest of that evening was spent in silence. Mipha was too tired to speak, and they wanted to give her some nice and quiet. The poor familiar had gone through quite a lot after all, it was the least they could do. Once they arrived back at the academy, they went on their separate ways.

Still, Siesta cringed when she saw the amount of bags Mipha and Louise were carrying together. Honestly, the child hadn't shown mercy to them at all. The maid promptly collapsed on her bed, as a soft smile entered her lips. Despite the tension in the store, and Mipha's unfortunate incident, it had been fun.

 _I hope I get to experience more of this with them._

Her times with Mipha, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha had been very energizing for the maid. She never had this much fun in her life before, even compared to her peaceful life back in Tarbes. Her new every day interactions had left her wanting for more, and, even though she was a commoner, she felt like she deserved such a life.

 _But is it truly okay for me, a commoner, to experience this kind of happiness?_

She never got to answer her own question as her heavy eyelids slowly closed. If only had she been paying more attention in her room, then she would've gotten her answer. A white envelope sat on the top of her dresser, and it was waiting to be opened.

* * *

 **How was it? Was it exciting? Was it heartwarming? Was it hilarious? Let us know!**

 **QUICK SPOILERS:**

 **The next two chapters we have planned out will have extreme triggers. We advise those who aren't capable to read extreme stuff to skip the next two chapters, or it _will_ trigger you.**

 **There will be a brief summary of what happened between the two chapters by the next one after the two, so your reading experience wouldn't be affected. If you do, however, wish to continue reading through, then we advise you to proceed with caution and a prepared mental state.**

 **This story is rated M(17+) for a reason.**

 **You have been warned.**


	9. Familiar Arc Finale I - Courage's Oceans

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter! Before our introductions would start, we would like to repeat our ending statement from the last chapter. This and the next chapter will feature heavy, gruesome, and mortifying elements. We strictly advise those who are unable to handle extreme triggers to _SKIP_ this and the next chapter. The chapter after the next one will feature a short but less detailed recap, so you wouldn't need to worry about skipping any major details.**

 **Otherwise, for those who still wish to continue to read this and the next chapter, we still advise you to tread on with _caution_ and a _prepared_ mental state. While things aren't as gruesome in this chapter, we still advise to _keep an open mind, and prepare yourselves for this_.**

 **It's going to be wild. You have been warned.**

* * *

 _ **EXTREME TRIGGERS AHEAD**_

* * *

 **First of all, we would like to thank our readers for waiting for this chapter, and for those who followed and favourited this story! Hopefully, this chapter wouldn't sway your choosing of following this story, but we wouldn't blame you if it did. Still, we won't change our minds of how this story would go, we placed it under M-Rating for a reason. Well, perhaps this chapter would probably more than an M-Rating, but there's no higher rating in the site.**

 **For the uploading schedule, that will remain tentative for now. We still don't have a clear idea, but we should be able to put out one chapter per month at least. The most would be 5, or 6 depending on our availability. We apologize for this inconvenience, and we hope that you understand our situation. We won't let you down, we promise!**

 **Now, for the reviews~**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thanks for reading! Yes, unfortunately she will, but we made sure it wouldn't be too extreme. However, we couldn't say the same for the next chapter. We advise to skip this and the next chapter if you're unable to handle this. Still, thank you for reading, and hopefully you do continue enjoying the story!**

 **Xinfo, thanks for reading, and yes! That was an Arachne cameo, but we won't add any more elements from that series. Aria suggested it, and it seemed oddly appropriate for the situation, so we went ahead to add it. Hopefully, it added the comical factor we were looking for in the last chapter. Thanks for reading again, and hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **verifiaman, thanks for reading! For fics of this quality, well, we wouldn't dare say that our story are in the same footing as theirs'. Definitely, their stories would be on a higher tier than ours, and they also served as both our inspiration, and pass time to enjoy.**

 **First, we both highly recommend God Slaying Blade Works by Marcus Galen Sands. It is long, and will be, hands down, the best fanfiction we've ever read. Not only is the quality of the writing and story very consistent, the originality, the theme, and the character developments all feel so natural that we feel like we are in the places of the protagonists! Everything just connected so perfectly, and we aspire to achieve a similar level of writing. In fact, it doesn't even remotely _feel_ like a fanfiction anymore as the story progresses, it has truly become a fiction on its own!**

 **For me, well, I enjoy myself a lot of Fate Series, DxD, and FoZ xovers myself! I enjoy the idea of mixing in different stories, and seeing how each character would react to one another, but here are some of what I enjoyed the most! Code of a Devil by CarshaShion, Rias' Black Knight by King Draconias, A Demon Lord's Hero by Fahad09, A Heart in the Void by DrWriter21, The Hill of Swords by gabriel blessing, and lastly, My Ideal Academia by Saraak! ~Aria**

 **For me, I tend to go for original fanfictions, and I'm a huge PJO fan- though, my ships are highly unconventional. I would suggest Forbidden Child by universalstraw242, Everlasting Promises by Starblade176, Reborn in Percy Jackson world! by hanaichichan19. Alternatively, if you're after real fiction, I suggest a few light novels: Overlord, I Said Make My Abilities Average!, Cooking with Wild Game, Altina the Sword Princess. For western novels, I suggest GoT, PJO, Artemis Fowl, The Dresden Files, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and pick up a few of H.P. LoveCraft's stories. - Crowe**

 **OmegaDelta, thanks for the feedback and reading! Well, we do wonder~ You'll find out now in this chapter, but we advise for you to tread in caution. Please do skip this chapter if you're unable to handle extreme triggers, but, otherwise, go on ahead with a prepared mind, okay? Hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **The Dark Hour, thanks for the feedback, and we're glad to hear you'll continue with the reviews! We were actually thinking of the Yuri Pairing, but we remembered Saito would show up in the story later, so we couldn't exactly go through with it hahahaha. Thank you for looking forward for the story, we do hope you'll continue enjoying! Once again, we would like to warn you about this chapter as it would have extreme triggers by its end, and it would be a frustrating one. Feel free to skip this chapter, but, otherwise, please tread carefully, okay? Thank you for reading!**

 **Rubius, thank you for the feedback, we're happy to know you love it! We hope you continue to enjoy the story, but please be careful in this chapter. Tread carefully, and do skip this chapter once it gets too much, okay?**

 **Though this is spoilers, I suppose I might as well say hahaha, Link will be joining Mipha sometime during the events of Tiffania supposedly resummoning Saito. How he would appear, well, that would be up for assumptions :P - Crowe**

 **Now, without further adieu, to the story!**

* * *

 **Mipha**

Despite the princess' efforts of uncovering the academy, she still found herself lost on the way to the headmaster's office. She hadn't seen Siesta around either, so she didn't have a guide to help her. A tired sigh escaped her lips, as she walked back from the direction she came from. Honestly, it was a wonder for her how the people in the academy could manoeuvre their way through the identical halls. _Then again, is it perhaps that the Zora have a naturally bad sense of direction?_ Even back at Hyrule Castle, she found herself lost once she got separated from the group. It was a particularly awful experience, since she had to deal with the scrutinizing stares of the Hylian officials. She had to act under the pressure of what could be considered as "elegance" for the Hylians, and the princess dearly wondered if she passed the test.

Though, she supposed that it made sense if the Zora lost their sense direction above water over the course of time. After all, they were water creatures, and they relied solely on the waters to deliver them to their desired destination. They used the water's salinity, temperature, and currents to determine their location. Obviously, land didn't have both salinity and currents, so temperature was the only thing Zora relied on. Unfortunately, land temperature varies per weather, so they were pretty much lost on land.

To rectify that, Muzu had taught her the basic directions of North, East, South, and West, but that was mostly it. Only a few Zora would dare travel out of their natural habitat, since water was very essential for them to live, and they only had the Hylians, Goron, and Gerudo's maps to guide them. Even then, the only places the Zora could safely travel were the Hylians' Territory, and a guided journey to the hot springs of the Goron. Both of which were not entirely satisfactory, as one side had shaky relations with the elder Zora, while the other could spell _death_ for a Zora if they were not to follow the guides soulfully.

The princess cut off her musings once she found the fountain. She stopped there, and turned around again to contemplate on her choices. She had just left the left entrance, and there were only two entrances left. One entrance held a tower above it, and the other lead to a smaller, yet still significantly large building.

"When in doubt, the largest building, I guess?" the princess mumbled out loud. It had always been an odd tradition among Hylians to place the royalty or those of ranking in high establishments. Quite frankly, Mipha couldn't understand the reason why. She had asked Link about this before as well, and not even the Hylian Knight knew of the answer. She never approached the princess though. It was too foolish of a question, and she was too embarrassed to ask it.

The princess looked around to see if any of her followers were around. While she was reluctant to call them as such, their undying loyalty made it hard for her to turn them away. Her new clothes made it worse for her, as the amount of suitors had increased to unimaginable amounts. Their actions had even become extreme, to the point Mipha had to vacate Louise's room. Her suitors had become too active, that they would risk the teachers.

Honestly, it didn't bode well for the two occupants, but they knew they had no choice regardless. Nobles weren't allowed to be violent with one another, so Louise had her hands tied up over the matter. Mipha didn't wish to resort to violence. Unfortunately, peaceful talks hadn't been an option either, as one rejection could only bring about two more suitors in its place.

There were two reasons why Mipha checked the vicinity. The first one was she didn't want anyone to know she was being called to the headmaster's office. Even though she didn't know why she was being called there herself, she had a nagging feeling that she should go there alone with no ears eavesdropping. The next reason was a little more unconventional.

Simply put, the princess didn't want any student to see her in her new clothes.

When she had returned home from the town, the few students who had seen her in her new clothes had either fainted, or immediately rushed to worship her. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday's scenario, so she had changed out of her outfit in the morning. A flush entered her cheeks when she remembered just what she was forced to wear. Don't get her wrong, the dress was decent, overly so that its white colour had rivalled the dress she brought along from her _resurrection_. The pairing white shoes she had were great too. What she didn't like was the _underwear_ she wore beneath.

It was indecent.

At least now she was wearing something _modest_ underneath her new set of clothes. A frown entered her lips when she remembered just who gave her the clothes. She had to begrudgingly admit, the girl was skilled in the act of dress up. She had given Mipha a variety of clothes, and one of them, what the girl called as a "gothic Lolita-style" dress, was what the princess was currently wearing.

The red coloured dress stopped just above the princess' knees, and her skirt was frilled, with white edges. A small white waist apron was sewn onto her skirt, which complemented the sewn white shirt on the top of her chest. Mipha idly noted the craftsmanship on the dress, as the edges of the sewn on polo were covered by white frills. On the top of her dress was a small hooded red cloak that stopped just a few inches above her elbow.

Then, there were the _ribbons._ Her dress was decorated to the brim with red ribbons, a few just below her chest, a few on both sides of the cloak, some that gradually downsized as it cascaded down from the elbows of the white sleeves of her dress, and one big ribbon that held the collar of her shirt together. The amount of ribbons on her dress was ridiculous, but it served its purpose well by making her look cute-

Which was all the more reason why she should avoid the people in the academy.

After she confirmed there was no one else in the area, she went inside the building. She carefully stalked her way through the halls. She could practically hear her heart beating against her ears, as she'd went as far as pressing herself against the wall and putting her hood up to conceal her face. It was rather uncomfortable and hot since her hair took up the space inside her hood. Still, that did little to hide her, as she was still holding her signature trident.

The emptiness of the halls made her steps echo, but it was drowned out by the voices of the teachers from the various rooms. Thankfully, all of the doors were closed, but that only gripped Mipha's fear tighter. What would happen if a door were to suddenly open? She would be discovered for sure, and, in the next moment, she would be mobbed by countless students at once. She would have to run for her life once again while she apologized for causing a disturbance during class hours. The images and the sensation of the wind beating against her as she'd turned around to see the students who started to grow pig snouts.

 _Wait, pig snouts?_

The odd turn of imagery in her head caused the princess to stop on her tracks. Had she really just imagined the students as _Bokoblins_? Surely, she didn't, she wasn't that rude. She quickly recalled that image in her mind again, only for her mind to stop on its tracks this time around. It took a whole minute for her to reboot, and she sighed in exasperation right after. By that point, the princess gave up on being stealthy and walked down the halls dejectedly.

 _Great, my fear of being mobbed by my…_ followers _had apparently turned them into Bokoblins._ Another sigh escaped the princess' lips. _Perhaps, it might be time for me to take a vacation from the academy._ She reached the stairways not too long after, and ascended with heavy steps. She idly noted the breeze of air from the open windows hitting her frame and how it made her cloak flow along its gentle touch. A soft smile entered her lips as she'd stared out of one of the academy's windows.

As troublesome as the academy was, it was still her new place that she had called home. Her daily interactions with its occupants, her banters with Siesta, her teachings with Louise, and her times with Kirche and Tabitha had made the place lively for her. It was exactly what she needed, especially right after her recent activity.

 _But it isn't what I've wanted._ Her eyes widened in alarm when she heard her thoughts. She quickly shook the memories away, all the happy and bitter ones that had been plaguing her since the summoning, as she bit down on her lip. She had long accepted the fact she wasn't coming back ever since her summoning. She was _dead_ in her time; there was no way for her to come back unless she wished to be a tormented ghost for all of eternity. Her father wouldn't approve of that at all. She needed to move on, but her lingering affections for the people in her home made it hard to let go.

 _Come on, Mipha, you can do this. Just let-_ Her head jerked back as she'd felt something hard slam against her forehead. A hand quickly shot up to cover it, and the pain she felt brought her out of her brooding. Her feet had apparently carried on walking up the stairs, but didn't stop once a door was already in front of her. The result was plenty obvious. As if to add up on her misfortune, the door swung open that revealed a visibly stressed green-haired secretary. The secretary stared at her, and Mipha could only stare back with shock.

"… I called for Louise's familiar, not little red riding hood. Please go back, and tell whoever told you to call Mipha."

 _Little red riding hood?_

The door was slowly closing before her, and it took the princess a moment about what was going to happen. It was rather comical, as her eyes widened in panic. She quickly flipped her hood back, and held the door. "W-wait, I'm Mipha! I only had my hood up," she managed to call out as she'd struggled to push back the door. Unfortunately, the door's weight suddenly lessened, which the princess managed to overpower really easily. As a result, there was another loud _thud_ as she'd successfully pushed the door open. She watched as the greenette rubbed her forehead, and glared at her.

"S-sorry!" the princess apologized immediately as she'd frantically bowed down. A short shriek left her mouth as she quickly straightened her posture. She watched the secretary meaningfully as she'd continued to glare at her. Internally, Mipha sighed in relief. Apparently, while her hair was thick enough to hide her ears while was standing up, walking, running, and fighting, it wasn't thick enough to hide her ears if she bowed down. Still, the princess felt sheepish as she'd turned to the side. She felt blood rush to her cheeks which only made her feel more embarrassed.

"… I suppose a familiar takes after its master. Ah, my apologies, it should've been 'her'." Mipha could only laugh in reply to that, as she'd offered her hand to the secretary. The secretary raised an eyebrow, but relented anyways. She grabbed the princess' hand, and the latter was quite surprised about the feel of her hands. They weren't soft, they were rough and calloused.

"So, I suppose you are wondering why I called you here?" the secretary asked as she'd sat down on a chair. Her free hand gestured to the chair in front of her desk. The princess quickly understood what the secretary meant by that, and moved over to sit on the chair. Under the secretary's gaze, she could only feel embarrassed and uncomfortable as she'd shifted in her seat.

"Y-yes, quite, I was hoping I didn't do anything wrong."

The corners of the secretary's mouth twitched upwards. The princess didn't like the sign of that.

"Didn't do anything wrong, hm? Well, you certainly haven't done anything wrong- in my eyes anyway." This time, it was Mipha's turn to stare at the secretary. The way she said her last sentence was littered with bitterness and layers upon layers of regret and anger. In fact, it felt a little too similar with the emotions she felt from the _malice_ during her first encounter with Waterblight Ganon. While certainly lesser in amount, it was peer to the emotion.

Internally, Mipha panicked. Was Calamity Ganon present in this world as well? She had read the literature, but there wasn't a sign of Calamity Ganon. In fact, it never _existed_. This world was only plagued by wars between countries and elves, so surely _malice_ shouldn't exist here.

 _Wait, what if the wars between countries and the elves have created so much dark emotion, it gave birth to the malice?_

The terrifying thought caused Mipha's thoughts to reach a screeching halt. Naked fear gripped her heart, as she began to breathe in fast tempo. Her sight began to blur and the motions around her seemed to twist and turn. Memories of the dreaded beast she fought, and the sheer terror she felt once Calamity Ganon had resurfaced at Hyrule Castle, all of them descended down on her without mercy. Bile surfaced in her throat, but she bit down to stop it from coming out.

The princess closed her eyes, and used a great amount of effort to calm herself down. She was still talking to Miss Longueville, it wouldn't do for her to act like this. She idly called upon her ability, and she immediately felt the warmness spread across her veins.

 _Thank Nayru._

If it wasn't for her Grace, she wouldn't be as calm as she was now. She opened her eyes, and stared at the secretary, who had a tired expression on her face. "I see, it seems you have understood what I meant." A frown entered Mipha's lips.

"Can you elaborate?" the princess asked. Gone was the normal Mipha commoners spoke with. Circumstances like this needed to be treaded on carefully. An aura of regality permeated around her, as she took on a proper posture that befits of her stature. Longueville's eyes widened in alarm, before laughter followed soon after.

"I apologize, your Highness, but I've never believed in Colbert's report that you were a princess. Now that I've assessed you myself, it seems you truly are one- not to mention, you're a very observant one too." The secretary's posture became guarded as she'd tensed up on the spot. Mipha tensed as well, her grip on the trident a little tighter than before. She watched as the brown eyes of the mage before her dart to the hand on her trident. A grim expression was set on her face.

"I see, so you're no stranger to combat as well." Suddenly, Longueville sighed in exasperation and slumped in her chair. The tension from her was gone, but her eyes remained guarded. "Honestly, it's a little cheaty that a person like you appeared here." Mipha blinked and tilted her head. The secretary before her sighed.

"Your Highness, the nobles in this country and in some countries are worse than you think. They will do everything in their power just to receive what they believed they deserve, whether it be through peace or force. Though, in our current generation, it's mostly done by force under the name of the law. It's disgusting really. Even the Romalians have resorted to such decency. Surprisingly, the Germanians have their honour, so they have the least amount of horrible activities done there." The greenette stopped there and turned her attention to the window outside.

Mipha bit her lower lip. She already knew as much- she had read the some of the atrocities done by nobles of varying countries, and all of them made her stomach turn. She was never one to shout for vengeance, but for those wrongly accused and wrongly treated, she might change that. Justice was in dire need to be served, but it just might be due to the fact that the current nobles were simply misguided.

 _Why is she telling me all of these? She should already know that I'm aware of this, I have spoken my mind about the matter before-_

"Did you know that nobles can fall?" The greenette's eyes turned to her, but she never moved her head. There was only silence after the question, as Mipha felt confused why the person before her was acting so oddly. What did she mean about her being a cheaty person? What was she trying to achieve here by acting so subtly?

The princess didn't answer the question verbally and only nodded her head for her answer. The greenette saw her reaction and continued to tell her tale. "A noble can fall from either being accused and punished for a crime, or simply because another noble wanted them gone. If one had enough authority, those in his/her way could be easily thrown away. There is no in-between. Once you are the target of another noble, you either fight dirty, or accept defeat. Such is the way of life here."

There was silence again. Mipha's frown was more prominent now, as she chose the silence to be the time to speak.

"I must admit, I do not understand your reasons why you speak about this. I have already spoken my piece about this matter during my... argument with that child. Surely, you've heard of my opinion? It's rather well spread." As kind Mipha could be, she was also a strict person. She would not repeat her words again, and she had never once repeated any of her speeches. Though, the children and her brother were an exception. They were simply too young to understand what she was speaking about.

Soft laughter cleared the silence. "Yes, I've heard of your opinion, and, quite frankly, I'm rather surprised you haven't been directed and thrown at the dungeons yet."

By this point, Mipha's blood ran cold. She immediately stood up; her trident ready before her to show that she wouldn't hesitate defending herself. When the secretary made no move to do the same, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, hush, I don't plan to do such a thing. You've reopened my eyes about my opinion with nobility." Despite the calm and happy tone, Mipha could tell the cold and analytical side underneath it. It gave her shivers as she'd realized that the person before actually posed a dire threat to her being. The secretary turned to her. The brown eyes of steel shocked Mipha slightly.

"I've called you here for two reasons. The first will still remain a secret; I have left enough clues for you to figure it out yourself. My second reason is to give you a warning." The secretary stood up, and walked towards the door. During the time it took the secretary, Mipha had jumped back, her eyes narrowed on the hands of the green-haired secretary, who was suddenly holding a scroll on her hands. Longueville opened the door, and threw the scroll at Mipha. Naturally, Mipha dodged.

"…"

"…"

It was a tense silence, but it was mostly filled with confusion. Mipha's eyebrows furrowed at the scroll on the ground. After a few seconds had passed and nothing happened, Mipha poked the scroll with her trident. She winced when a hole bore through it, but nothing happened. "Was that meant to do something?" she asked. The secretary shook her head. She looked bewildered by the princess' actions. It was then that Mipha realized that she was the only one who was worked up. She sighed and quickly hid her face that was starting to grow red from embarrassment. She quickly approached the scroll, and held it in her hand.

"Uhm, do I open this then?" Mipha asked. The secretary only stared at Mipha, before she sighed exasperatedly.

"Looks like I've gone a little too far, huh. Yes, open it."

 _Ah, I'm sorry. I want to crawl into a hole now._

Mipha felt embarrassed as she'd placed the trident to lean against the crease of her elbow. Using both hands, she gingerly opened the scroll. She winced when she saw the hole she made. Fortunately, it wasn't large enough to make the text unreadable, but it still left quite the gap in the scroll. However, once she read the contents, her embarrassment changed to confusion once again.

"I see, you do not understand what the letter meant."

The princess nodded her head. "Yes, Count Mott scouted Siesta to be his servant, right? Would that be any different from her job here?" The grim expression on the secretary's face answered her question.

"That _pig_ doesn't want Siesta as his Servant. He wants her to be his sex slave."

The blunt answer froze Mipha's blood. Instantly, panic welled up inside her as she'd immediately let out an outburst at the secretary. "What?! Where is she now?"

"She's accepted the role, and she has already left the academy this morning."

 _So, that's why-!_

"What, why did she accept the role?" Mipha shouted as she'd dropped the scroll she was holding, and immediately put her trident back on her hands. She marched towards the door to go find her dear friend, but the secretary stood on her way.

"Because she was a commoner. You know yourself that commoners don't have freedom here."

 _But this is going too far!_

This time, it was anger that welled up inside her. "Is the academy seriously going to let this slide?!" Normally, Mipha wouldn't be this loud. She would keep her voice as low as possible, since it hurt her throat to speak loudly. However, now wasn't the time, not when her friend was obviously in danger of being violated, and used by some _noble_. Her control over her emotions had immediately gone out of the metaphorical window, and the room's temperature dropped as a result. To her side, she noticed the tea in the cup had lost its steam.

"Yes, but not for the reasons you think of! Count Mott is a Messenger for the Palace, he holds a position that none of us can face in the academy. This is the second reason why I've called you here." There was obvious distaste in Longueville's tone, but her expression was currently filled with panic. "Do not charge into Count Mott's place without a plan. While I do understand you are a princess, you do not have your subjects here with you, and Tristain has no ties with you and your country as of yet. If you act now, it would be considered an act of war!"

Mipha wanted to deny her warning, but she knew inside her that the secretary was right. If she were to rush to Siesta's aid now, she would have to deal with the consequences afterward. She was specifically ordered by Louise not to do anything that would draw attention to her as well, which only magnified the anger she was feeling.

 _Just what can I do in this situation?_

In the midst of her anger, she hadn't noticed Longueville had closed the door again, and was staring at her in slight fear. She didn't know why, until she realized the room's temperature had dropped considerably. She quickly tried to quell her anger which was proving useless as she could feel her surroundings feel colder in response. Mipha knew there was something more, something stronger that fuelled her anger.

 _Just what is-_

A certain Hylian Knight's face passed her thoughts.

Slowly, realization spread through her features, and her mouth was left open. She didn't want to fail Siesta, like how she failed Link. Her eyes began to water, as she felt the ever so familiar thorns wrapping her heart, and the lump in her throat. She bit her lower lip, as she held back her urge to cry. She quickly pumped her healing ability to spread upon her once again. It calmed her somewhat, but she still felt like venting.

"Y-your Highness, are you alright now?"

Mipha didn't trust herself to speak, so she just nodded. She silently passed the secretary and left the room. She went down the stairs, and once she reached the fountain, she didn't care anymore. She jumped into its cold waters and lied there. She needed all the comfort she could get right now, and the cold waters did its job as her tears finally left her eyes.

* * *

 **Siesta**

The noise from the canters of the horses outside the carriage bounced against its wooden walls. It was a dull sound that repeated itself for the past few hours, and it only served to grow the dread the maid was feeling from inside her chest. Her luggage rattled against the carriage floor, as well as her entire frame due to the lack of cushions on her chair. The maid clicked her tongue in distaste as she'd stared outside of the window. Gone was the sight of the academy's walls, and it was replaced by the green landscape outside of a certain Count's manor.

The maid tightened her hold on the letter to the point it crumpled from the pressure. She hated her luck, she hated her position, and she hated how she couldn't do anything to stop this. Rejecting the offer wasn't just something she could do, she was just a commoner. She didn't have the power over her life, and it infuriated her. Just how many times was she going to be pushed around like this? It wasn't fair, and she dearly wanted to rebel. The nobles in the country disgusted her.

The nobles and the royalty would keep preaching about maintaining the peace and order of the country, but Siesta knew the truth. They weren't doing anything at all, and they all settled with just sitting back and leave their people to rot. Not even the princess, despite how loved she was by the people, wasn't doing anything. Oh, the maid applauded her efforts to bring commoners to a higher stand point, but she obviously failed on that regards. Despite the amount of laws being put out by the princess, the nobles never stopped their abuse.

The count the maid was about to serve was evidence of this.

It was no secret amongst commoners of what it meant to be "scouted" by Count Mott. The high salary the contract presented was mere bait, and the work conditions written on the contract was for "public eyes" only. Oh, that didn't mean the contract was false though. The scouted commoners were paid handsomely for their services, and the chores they partook in were all written in the contract. The contract just didn't state the _other_ side of their chores, and they would only find out when it was too late.

The nature of the contract was only made known through an escaped maid though. She had spoken about the horrors within the manor of Count Mott, but it apparently wasn't enough to call for a search warrant in the manor. Of course, it wouldn't be enough. The persecutor was just a commoner after all, and none of the nobles in the area wished to go against the Royal Messenger of the Palace.

Honestly, it was completely unfair for the maid. Why did she have to be the one taken away, and not any of the other maids? She hadn't even met the count in her life, so why did the man decide to choose her? She shouted in frustration, as she threw the scroll on her hand against the wall. A voice called out from outside. It was rough, and raspy as if the man hadn't drank water for days. "Oy, lass, don't make a mess in there, or you will get into trouble- well, you're already in trouble anyway." A snicker followed after the voice, and it only infuriated the maid more. _Just how could this people act like it wasn't their business?_ _Oh wait, it isn't_. Siesta thought dryly.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched upwards which caused Siesta and her luggage to momentarily jump from their positions. The sudden fall made quite an impact since her luggage burst open and her behind hurt from the wooden chair. If it wasn't for her clothes, she was sure that the wood would've left a mark on her untainted behind. _Though, it won't be pure for long_. The maid sighed tiredly as she hunched over to fix her luggage and close it again.

She had left the clothes she got from the tailor behind, since she didn't want such fine clothes to be handled roughly by the pig that sought her out. She left them in the care of one of her friends, who gladly took the clothes to their person. Honestly, the sight had hurt her. The clothes were meant to be hers, not anyone else. She had handpicked them, and they were rewards for her efforts in catering Louise.

The frustration had built up enough to cause tears from the sides of Siesta's eyes to fall. She shouted in frustration, as she'd covered her face and let the waterworks fall. Honestly, it was truly unfair. She had only wished for happiness despite her common life, and she didn't wish for any complications. Truly, such a commoner couldn't have a life- she truly couldn't achieve happiness at all. The question she asked herself, she knew the answer now. She obviously didn't deserve all the graces and blessings she received from the princess, and this was the world's way of showing that she should only continue to grovel on the nobles' feet.

It was the reason why she immediately left once she took the offer. She feared that once she saw the beautiful princess, she would spill the beans and ask her for help. She knew that Louise and her familiar wouldn't be able to help her, and she would only cause more trouble for the pair. She couldn't approach Kirche and Tabitha either, as she wasn't as close to them as she was with the pinkette and her familiar. All she had left was just herself, and her courage to go forwards for the sake of her family. It was at least on the bright side that she would be able to earn more for her family to continue with their current lifestyle.

It was a sacrifice Siesta was still willing to make.

Thankfully, whoever was driving the carriage had left her to her own devices. Her weeping hadn't been disturbed, and the ride to the manor had a damped atmosphere. Even when the horses had set foot on the prestigious manor, the atmosphere that surrounded it hadn't changed. Siesta just continued to weep until she felt the carriage finally stop after a few hours of travel. She quickly used a spare cloth to wipe her tears away, and stashed it in her pocket. She stared outside of the entrance, and immediately saw the greedy eyes of the man she was to serve. All kinds of anger that remained in her had fled.

It frightened her. The man was easily taller than her by a head. His short hair and curled moustache were his most notable features, but the clothes he wore were too extravagant to emphasize his position in the palace. The amount of clothing on him had disturbed Siesta, but not as much as the lecherous stare he currently had on her frame. She could feel his gaze licking her skin, and her very being easily threatened. She shakily got out of the carriage, as she knew she shouldn't make the noble wait too long. She set her luggage to the side temporarily, and performed a curtsy before the noble.

"I-I am Siesta, and I would be working here starting today. P-pleased to meet you, m-master," she stuttered out of fear. The man only hummed as he'd turned around and gestured for the large doors of his manor to open. The maids on the side flinched, and mechanically moved their way to open their doors. Siesta easily observed this, and she realized that this was an exhibition of what would happen to her the longer she spent her time here. Siesta fought the urge to run away. If she did, it would only make the treatment towards her worse.

That didn't stop her from visibly shaking though.

"Very well, right on time I suppose. Servants, lead her to the guest room. Have her oriented with her tasks starting today as my _personal_ maid. We don't want a repeat from last time, don't we?" The maids around the man flinched as they'd shivered and bowed their heads submissively.

"Yes, Master Mott. Please, follow us," one of the maids spoke. The voice was so deadpan and devoid of life that only further scared the maid. Just what kind of things happened to them that made them react like this? Would she end up becoming like them as well? The maid didn't know what to do, as she was frozen in fear. The two other maids walked closer to her instead, and one grabbed her by the arms. The other took her luggage. They began to drag the frozen maid to the guest room, and that served enough to kick the maid out of her stupor.

"A-ah, I can walk on my own," the maid called out. The other two nodded their heads, and let go. It was creepy how they performed that in sync. The walk towards the guest room had been quiet, and dead. It was completely different from her time in the academy, and it made her feel sick. The contract was too much, and the maid felt like she was going to collapse under the pressure. "U-uhm, so, do you guys read books?" the maid asked. _Please answer, any answer would be enough, please._

"No. The count has forbidden us from having personal possessions. We haven't read a book in years, and spoken to anyone either."

The answer passed a chill through Siesta's spine. Her eyes widened in horror by the implications of the maid's statement. "S-surely, you spoke to people right? Like chatter, and all that stuff. Maybe, I don't know, talking with the townspeople while doing the groceries!"

"No. We do not have any topic to talk about other than our duties and the weather."

Fear gripped her heart, as she'd desperately looked around if there were any windows she could climb out of. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of the halls, so all she could see were countless doors, and endless hallways that she hadn't the knowledge of getting around with. She _needed_ to get out of the manor, and she needed to leave _immediately._

"... though, we do talk about our families once in a while."

The voice was too soft that it almost passed Siesta. She quickly turned her attention to the maid that spoke. She was petite, definitely around Louise's frame, but she had a developed bust in comparison to the flat pinkette. Siesta couldn't really see their expressions as she was behind them, but she intently stared at the maid. She hoped for her to continue what she spoke about, because she didn't wish to be part of a somehow mechanical group of workers. She wanted for life to exist around her, or she might just succumb to despair as well.

"We mostly talk about our families whenever we are in dire need of will to continue this... unforgiving job."

"Irelia, that's enough," the other maid cut off. Immediately, the maid, identified as Irelia, shut her mouth. By this point, Siesta's eyes furrowed in worry as she closed in to the maids and tugged their sleeves. The two turned to them, and she involuntarily took a step back from the sheer _blankness_ their eyes held.

"I-is talking forbidden among maids?" the maid asked. The two nodded, almost in sync again, and they turned their attention once again to continue moving. The maid paled by that. _Dear Founder, just what did I get myself into?_ She looked around again with more desperation this time. She needed to get out of the place, and go back to her family. She needed to find Louise, and beg for the pinkette to save her from her predicament. She couldn't stay here any longer. Then, the source of her fears echoed from behind her.

"Hm? Why are you standing here? Have the maids abandoned their duties?"

Siesta dared not to turn around, as she could feel the stare boring a hole in the back of her head, as well on her behind. She felt cold, inhumanely so, as she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand from the sheer fear she felt. Said fear also robbed her of her voice, as she vehemently shook her head to defend the maids. She quickly rushed forwards to catch up with the other two, even though it was disrespectful to just leave a noble like that when they approached first.

"We have arrived," Irelia spoke as she opened the door. She gestured for Siesta to come inside, which she eagerly done so as she'd rushed in. The other maid had set her luggage next to the bed, and the two closed the door to their room. With obviously practiced steps, Irelia walked over to the closet, and pulled its doors open. It revealed several revealing red maid outfits, so much so that Siesta's cheeks reddened from the fact she was going to wear them. The maid whisked one out, and set it down on the bed. "This will be your uniform. You will wear this, and only this. You can only wear your clothes if the count ordered you to."

"For your duties, you will be entertaining the count with every need and desires. You are to never leave his side unless instructed to. However, you still have your duties as a maid. Hence, you will be working as one in the morning, and act as his personal maid by the evening. One of the maids will take your place in the morning, so you wouldn't need to worry about skipping out on any of your duties. Well then, that is all," the maid spoke. She bowed to Siesta and left the room with Irelia. Siesta stared at the uniform on the bed, and turned her attention on her luggage. It looked like her freedom here was limited in every sense. Even her choice of clothing was being decided for her. Her mother hadn't even done that to her when she was growing up.

She sat down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. She was now very much under the noble's control, and she didn't like it. It didn't help that the noble she was serving was one of those who abused their position. She was deathly afraid for her life. What was going to happen to her now? She hadn't known how much time had passed. All she knew was she'd only stared at her maid uniform for what felt like hours, before she went ahead to do what "maid duties" she had to perform. She changed out of her outfit, and put on the skimpy red maid uniform. When she stared at the mirror, she clicked her tongue in disgust, and felt more fear rush through her.

It was going to be a long night for her.

* * *

 **Louise**

The young pinkette was worried as she walked down the halls in pursuit of the missing princess. She hadn't seen Mipha and Siesta for the entire morning. When she had been approached by one of the maids to tell her that Mipha was being called to the headmaster's office, she hadn't thought much about it. Now that the princess was missing though, something was definitely wrong. _Mipha, where are you?_

Then, there was also the case of the missing maid. Now usually Louise wouldn't have paid such detailed attention to a maid; she hadn't even committed the faces of the staff to memory either. They were simply there to serve them. Maids in the academy come and go, usually some resigned due to circumstances, while the others were taken away by a noble for work. It wasn't new, and it was simply how things went in the academy.

So why did Louise feel worried for the maid?

The idea of Siesta suddenly disappearing without a trace bothered her. While certainly not at the same degree of Mipha's disappearance, it still bothered her. She shook her head, and shelved the thought for now. It wouldn't do her any good to be distracted, she needed to find one person at a time.

The pinkette had searched high and low for the red head. She had even gone as far as climbing the top of a tower, and asked Tabitha for help. The bluenette was eager to help it seemed. The moment she heard that Mipha had gone missing, she had immediately called for her familiar to search for the princess. Unfortunately, it seemed like not even the wind dragon was able to find the princess.

A voice called out from the hall behind her. It was deeper than Louise's, but definitely from a female's. In fact, she knew the voice too well. "Hey, Vallière have you seen her yet?" A groan escaped her lips as she'd turned to meet the usual Germanian harlot. She was breathing shortly from her sprint, and it caused her gifted chest to move up and down rhythmically. Honestly, the display immediately annoyed Louise as she'd turned around without even waiting for Zerbst to speak. "W-wait, have you?"

'No, I haven't," Louise answered, though she still continued her trek forward. She heard the shuffling of footsteps from behind her. A quick glance on her side showed the red head harlot had already walked up beside her. Naturally, Louise ignored her. It would be the best course of action to pretend like the Zerbst never existed. It helped her well to cope with the stress of dealing with the Germanian before, surely it would do so now.

"Hmm, I wonder why she left though. Ah, is it perhaps she finally had enough of you?" A tick mark appeared on Louise's head. She was about to snap back, but she held herself back. It wouldn't do her any good to snap now. If she had the time to banter with Zerbst, she would have the time to look for Mipha. The lack of reaction didn't seem to amuse the red head, as she audibly sighed. Louise allowed a smirk to appear on her lips. "Still, I wonder what happened. Have you heard from Tabitha?" The pinkette shook her head as a response. "How about the maid?"

"The maid wasn't anywhere to be found either," Louise worriedly admitted. They turned a corner, and continued to walk. She asked the passing servants and students, but it seemed like none of them had any answer as well. This only added to the growing worry of Louise. If the servants hadn't seen their "goddess", then just where was she?

'To be able to elude us like this, and not even trip up any wards from the academy of her leaving. Wow, your familiar must be really desperate to get away from you."

"Not helping Zerbst!" The pinkette finally snapped. She held in her urge to whip out her wand, and teach the Germanian harlot her place. Honestly, it wasn't her place to say such things, especially with the princess not in the vicinity. It was bad manners to suggest another's actions, and Mipha wasn't there to defend herself. Fortunately, it seemed that the red head got the memo, and sighed.

"Still, where is she?" The two reached another corner, but never really got far. A white and red blur suddenly slammed into the pinkette, and knocked the air out of her lungs. She fell on the floor and her behind met solid ground. She quickly sucked in her breath to reprimand whoever decided it was a good day to run down the halls, but quickly held her piece when she saw the offender. The groomed red hair Louise was used to seeing was messy, and her clothes weren't in a better state. In fact, it looked like it had been on the dryers recently. However, that didn't change the fact that Louise recognized who bumped into her. A shout resounded from the hallway the princess came from, which only solidified just who Louise was looking at.

"Mipha!" said a blonde who crouched next to the fallen princess and checked if she was okay. The blonde had ringlets on her hair, and a huge forehead. Fortunately, the pinkette could easily tell who it was. Montmorency was the only one who had such features after all. Still, that asked the question: why was Mipha with her? Said blonde turned to the pinkette, and the two stared at each other.

"Ah, I'm sorry," the princess muttered. Her speaking got the pinkette's attention again, and the latter gasped. The princess' features were visibly distressed. The yellow eyes seemed red and wrapped in concern, and her actions seemed rushed. Mipha hadn't even paid Louise any attention as she got up again, and dashed down the halls. The seemingly uncaring action was uncharacteristic for the red head, and Louise honestly felt hurt when she did that.

"A-ah, Mipha!" the blonde called out as she'd chased after the princess. Louise looked at Zerbst, who looked disturbed as well. The Germanian slowly nodded her head, and gave chase. Louise only reacted slightly behind, mostly hindered by her own thoughts in the situation. Did she do something wrong? Just what got the princess so distressed? For the past few days, Louise hadn't exactly done anything that could harm the princess. In fact, she had been helpful, and lenient.

 _Could this have something to do with the maid's sudden disappearance?_

"Hey, Montmorency, what's wrong with Mipha?" Zerbst asked. Louise winced with the lack of tact with the redhead's questioning. Honestly, she wondered if the harlot was a natural bitch. Her early experiences with her had supported her nature even further. While it was certain that the red head had lessened her teasing of Louise, she still had been overbearing in her life.

"Ah, I was resting on the fountain, you see. I was thinking what I should do, since Guiche had been distancing himself a bit lately, despite our frequent times together. I was worried, and didn't know what to do, and usually I'd sit next to the fountain to recollect myself. I was thinking that he was cheating on me agai-"

"Get to the point!" Louise shouted impatiently. She didn't need to know her life story, she wanted to know what was bothering Mipha! Though, in some corner of her mind, she noted that it was oddly refreshing to snap like that. It had been weeks since the last time she had reacted angrily. The blonde looked startled, before her face was flushed a deep red. She opened her mouth to retort, but was intercepted by the Germanian this time.

"Montmorency, while I appreciate your _passion_ for Guiche, please get to the point." The pinkette blinked, and it took a while for the words to register in her brain. With eyes wide from disbelief, she turned to Zerbst. _She actually had a brain?!_ The blonde still glared at Louise, before she huffed and turned to look forwards.

"Imagine my surprise when Mipha suddenly rose out of the fountain. She looked stressed, and I brought her to my room since she looked really awful. I couldn't exactly just leave her with wet clothes either, so I dried it off for her. She thanked me then, and asked me where Guiche was, so, yeah. Here we are," Montmorency answered lamely. Now that was interesting to know. No wonder why Tabitha couldn't find Mipha, she had been taken in Montmorency's room. Still, Louise was confused. _Why would Mipha try to find Guiche?_

"I see~ Well, that aside, her clothes are just fabulous. That little girl had done her job right."

"Wait, how did you know it was a little girl who dressed her up?!" Louise shouted again. Zerbst looked alarmed like she had been caught. She quickly turned her head away and started whistling, which only served to make her more suspicious in the pinkette's eyes. She felt some anger rise in her, as she'd ran towards the Germanian this time around. "You followed us, didn't you?" Louise growled as she'd latched on Zerbst's red hair. Of course, the red head yelped, but she didn't stop running. It was a poor decision on her part, and it was something that Louise abused.

"How could I not, you were taking my next object of interest to town, how could I not be curious?" She responded indignantly. Unfortunately, that was very ill received by the pinkette. She was about to shout again, but she was cut off with the princess calling out a certain gaudy blond's name.

"Guiche!" the princess called out. The strength behind the princess' soft voice caused Louise to flinch, as they all stopped from running. The mages around the pinkette were all catching their breaths, but she wasn't. It seemed like her training with Mipha had decided to bear fruit now. She quickly approached the princess, but she made sure to savour the shocked expressions on Zerbst's and Montmorency's faces. Once she stood beside the princess, she saw the blond sat down on a chair against the wall. The pinkette quickly noted the bitter expression on the blond's face as he'd glanced at Mipha.

"Oh. What is it, familiar of Louise?" the blond asked. The princess dashed forward, and held the blond's hands causing everyone in the scene to stare at the princess with wide and disbelieving eyes. Though, one had jealousy in theirs. It seemed like even the bitter expression on Guiche's face had faded into shock.

"Please, I need your help," the princess pleaded. Despite the softness of her voice, she managed to channel a lot of emotion in her. The pinkette's confusion only grew.

* * *

 **Siesta**

The maid was shivering in fear as she stood behind her new master. The count was sat on his chair with several parchments laid out on the desk before him. There had been numerous books piled on top of each other as well, and the soft scribbling noise of the pen resounded in the entire room. It had been quiet, too quiet for Siesta's liking. The tension she felt could only be compared to the brewing before the storm, and her legs were shaking- they could barely hold her up.

"Honestly, these are too much, you know. Being a Royal Messenger is hard, you see," the monster before her spoke. His words gave her goose bumps, and everything in her told her to run. His voice was lower than a female's, average, but the lecherous tone underneath it intensified her fear. His every action caused her muscles to twitch. She had even half expected that his arms would elongate to grope her.

It seemed like her fears were starting to get the best of her.

"I-I see," the maid shakily responded. Initially, she was against responding, and nobles never really permitted her to respond. However, she also had a feeling that if she didn't respond, then things would only simply get worse for her later. The man hummed, and he turned around to look at the maid. When his eyes met hers, she immediately averted her gaze. Just a sole gaze on his eyes already made her want to faint, it was terrifying.

"It's not a forgiving job, but, hey, it's one of the most prestigious titles in this country. I could do anything I want, and spin the law to my favour. Not to mention I also have this country's judge on my side, we share girls, you see. Hah! That fool of a princess doesn't even know such things are happening behind her back," the man continued. On hindsight, the man shouldn't be saying these kinds of things to her, but Siesta knew why he had the audacity to do so. She was just a commoner, no one would believe her. "Still, it would be interesting if we could also get our hands on her. The princess truly is beautiful despite it all, you know?"

Siesta didn't reply on that, and she only continued to stare at the ground below her. It was true, this man wasn't human anymore. He was a monster, and she was recruited by said monster to _warm his bed every night_. Her vision started to blur, as she'd started to take shorter intakes of air. She felt her hands shake, and tears started to sprout on the edge of her eyes.

"Still, I have to give toast to the princess. She's still managed to keep the country alive despite its issues- whether politics, military, or economically. Though, she's doing a poor job on all of them," the man mocked, and laughed. The sound of chair scraping against the floor, and heavy footsteps alerted Siesta. When she saw the shoes of the count before her, she quickly shut her eyes. Her senses went numb as she felt the man approach her from behind. It was cold. She felt arms wrap her shoulders, and one hand on the top of her breast. She held back a cry of disgust, as the hand began to play with her chest. It was cold.

"Still, that still leaves me stressed, you know? I didn't only hire you for maid work, you see," the man said huskily behind her ears. The wind came in contact with her skin, and the maid had to resist her urge to break free from his hold and shout for help. The maids wouldn't be able to help her, neither would the soldiers and the butlers in the area. They were only commoners; they couldn't do anything in the face of someone who had power. She felt her unshed tears finally streak down her face, as she'd endured being groped by this monster in human clothing.

"Though, while I'd love to stay and continue, I still have some duties to perform. Bah, it's not like these letters are of any importance anyway. Just a bunch of old people in desperate need of glory. Oh dear waters, bind my prey, for thou art mine," The filth stopped there, and Siesta sighed in relief. Even though she knew that things would get worse for her later, it was still a breather she would wholeheartedly accept. She heard the heavy footsteps, and a light tud. She slowly opened her eyes, but she immediately regretted that decision. The monster was now standing before her. His eyes stared into her, and she felt cold. Actually, she also felt slimy.

With a start, she realized that she was actually being felt up by something. She stared down, and saw water rope-like things wrapping her legs. She shrieked at this, as she frantically struggled against the bindings on her legs. She reached down, and tried to use her hands to peel the water objects off to no avail. They slowly slid up her legs, and she felt tingles run across her back. It wasn't too hard to realize what was about to happen to her. "N-no!" she croaked out as she finally let out her cries.

"Water binding, but if used right, can be used like this. Hmm, you have such an interesting response. The others usually begged for mercy already by this point." Blood froze in her as she stared at the monster in horror. The man was now sporting a lecherous grin, and his eyes were glowing darkly. "You know what, it's actually getting really… hot in here," the man said as he'd started to strip down. Siesta tried to avert her eyes, but another pair of water objects held her face. The man grinned at her as he set his staff aside and purposely slowly stripped down. It was a horrible sight for Siesta as she'd continued to beg and plead for the man to stop.

Slimy and watery substance wiped itself against her core, and she shrieked as a response. She felt blood rush to her face as she'd felt the weird object rub against her nether regions over and over again. She didn't like this feeling, she didn't like feeling like this against her will. She bit down her moans, as she'd glared at the noble. Though, her glare quickly wilted down when she saw that the count was completely nude. "You know, I might just make it easy for you if you take my magnificent wand in your mouth," the man said with a savage grin plastered on his face.

 _Horrible… This man is just simply horrible…_ she thought as more tears streaked down her face. With the water still grinding against her core, she could only nod. She didn't want to give the satisfaction of this man moaning out from this horrible sensation. The man immediately came to her, and held her mouth open against her will. Some groans left her mouth now, since she couldn't clamp it shut. The grin on the man's face only widened. "I'd enjoy breaking you, just like the others downstairs." Without even giving her any room to react or breathe, the man forcefully stuck his member in her mouth.

It was a horrible sensation. The man's member was horribly salty, and he continued to move back and forth inside Siesta's mouth. The head kept hitting the back of her throat, which only made her gag. She honestly wanted to vomit, but she couldn't let anything out due to the lack of nourishments. Instead, she let out saliva. Unfortunately, this only made the taste worse as the man just continued using her just like a tool. "Yes, yes! This is what I'm looking for, you are so terribly tight! I truly wonder what you would feel down there, oh, I cannot wait! Water, follow my lead, for thou art mine, Water Manipulation!" The man sped up his pace, and Siesta honestly felt like she was going to pass out.

 _Is this truly how it's going to end up?_ she thought, as she'd felt the water objects that was entangling her legs split to more tendrils and move up. She felt it wrap around her arms, and slip under her dress. It bound itself around her breasts separately and teased her nipples. She was slowly falling into the realm of bliss, and quite honestly, she hated it. She hated her first time to be taken like this, to be taken by an old man. _Though, this is my limit, huh…?_

She was just a commoner. She had no special powers, no special authority; she was only a mere person. She was just utterly useless, and she couldn't control her faith. The only consolation she had was she was doing this all for the sake of her family. Despair filled her heart, as her eyelids slowly closed. She saw her family, her little brothers and sisters. She saw her happy parents, as they all worked together in their farm, and enjoyed their small trips to the town. Then, she saw her friends at work. There was Marteau, and his kitchen staff that were too overjoyed at the simplest things in life. There was Catheryn, her roommate, who she shared the simplest things and most _risqué_ of novels.

Then, there was Louise. The pinkette spitfire who she had gotten to know more as days passed, the Germanian redhead who shared similar tastes as her, the silent bluenette who gave her the chance to study, and finally there was her first friend among the nobles. It was Mipha, Louise's Familiar, the princess of Zora. Her beautiful red hair, and her peach coloured skin. She was the very symbol of purity, the very symbol of justice. Then, she let everything else fade from her thoughts as she accepted her fate. This was her punishment for believing that she could be happy. She would redeem herself for her sin.

" _Ah, Siesta. It's a pleasure to see you again."_

A flash of the red head's smile flickered in her thoughts. It was a line the red head spoke to her when they met for the second time. _Why am I seeing this? Am I dying?_ The familiar's blushing features found its way to her mind. It had been something that the maid had found herself adored with, and would often teased her just to cite that reaction out of the princess.

" _Nobles protect and serve their people. They do not raise arms against them, but raise love in them. They do not threaten them with death and fear, but treat them with kindness and compassion. Nobles exist for the people, and not the other way around."_

This time, it was a memory of Mipha standing proud to protect her. It was one of Siesta's most fondest memories, and it was one she would never forget. It was a time when a noble stood up for her after all, and the time when Mipha cleared the maid's doubts of being her friend. Why did this memory appear to her? What did this mean?

 _"There is no difference between commoners and nobles. We are all humans, and we all feel the same. Without magic, we would be the same to them."_

While that is true, that wouldn't necessarily mean the commoners could rise up against them just so easily. They were still weak, and relied on other nobles for even the tiniest bit of protection. _But that's what Mipha did for me, right? She saved me, she protected me._

 _"I wasn't sure how should I thank you, but I see that you're being troubled. I'll do my best to help you."_

The princess' voice resounded in her mind. Her dark sights had slowly turned lighter, and she could barely make out a frame with a white dress. Then, her eyes opened.

"Oh, I'm about to reach my limit! Drink it, drink it all!" the man screamed, and that got her mind able to register what was happening. Once it did, she felt the fear she had been experiencing for the past minutes as it all crashed down on her. The coldness of her blood, yet the heat of her body clashed against each other. The myriad of emotions that she felt were all struggling to assert dominance in her mind, but there was one thing that prevailed out of all: Hope. She felt hope, the biggest hope she had ever felt that simply couldn't be compare to what she had felt before. She felt encouraged, and she made a dry smile in her thoughts.

 _Even though you're not here for me and I haven't even told you my situation, you still find a way to help me, huh, Mipha?_

She let the final streak of tears run down her cheeks, before she resolved herself. She could see the skin of the man before her, and every hair on his body. Honestly, it was quite vexing, but that wasn't important. What was important right now was she was to get out of this position. She grumbled her protest, as the man continued to speed up in her throat. Honestly, it was simply a true miracle that she was still alive.

The water was holding her tight, and she couldn't move. She had read a few of her books before, and it said that magic required tremendous focus. This meant that Count Mott wasn't only violating her, but also focusing on keeping his magic afloat. She needed to find a way to disrupt that focus. The answer came in the form on the thing that was on her mouth. It was a disgusting move, one she never would've thought she would end up doing in her life. Though, she knew it was her only shot.

 _I'm going to regret this, but I don't care anymore!_ Without warning, she crunched down her teeth on the count's member. The result was instantaneous as the count had stopped moving and howled in pain. The bindings on her had collapsed, and she could feel her upper body get wet from the water objects suddenly losing its shape. Still, she didn't stop there. She didn't care anymore, as the mixture of blood and semen flooded her mouth, and caused it to overflow from the edges of her lips. The taste was definitely unique, and it was one that made her gag, but she knew it was only temporary. She would save her chastity, even if it would cost her own life.

With all of her might, she continued to crunch down on the count's member, which caused the count to frantically try to move away. It was a fatal decision for the count, as Siesta used the monster's own movement to her advantage. She opened her mouth, and crunched down the hardest she could, and pulled back. The count howled in pain again as he fell backwards and his hands clutched his missing member. He had fallen to the floor, and was currently writhing in pain.

"Y-you bitch, h-how d-d-dare- youdo this to er noble!" the monster cried out in pain as his lower regions never stopped bleeding. He couldn't seem to muster the strength to walk as he'd crawled his way towards his staff. Siesta knew that this should be her chance to move. She spat out the count's member from her mouth, and idly noted how disgusting it was. She gave the count a glance, before she stood up and ran away. "G-guards, g-get her!" the count shouted.

Now, Siesta was on the run. She had reached her bedroom and immediately headed for the bathroom provided in the room. Immediately, she vomited all the blood and semen she had drunk down the drain and proceeded to wash her mouth with the available water. While it wasn't much, it would do for now. It took a while for her to realize what she did, and now she panicked.

 _Where do I go, what do I do?!_

She rummaged around her belongings as she'd placed them back to her luggage. She could hear the shuffling of footsteps outside, and the guards' shouting. She quickly finished up her luggage and hid it under her bed as she'd thrown herself into the closet to hide. Apparently, she had only been a second early as the moment she closed the closet door, she heard the door to her room slam open. She waited in bated breath as the guards in her room moved from one place to another.

"She's not here, check the other rooms! She couldn't have gone far," one of the guards shouted. Siesta cheered silently, and heaved a sigh of relief. Once she heard the door of her room close, she shakily opened the closet door and stepped outside.

"I never would've thought that this could happen outside of my novels," the maid muttered before she shook her head. She needed to get out of there, and seek help. While she was initially against it, she needed it now. "But, besides that… I did it!" she cheered. She just conquered her fears and stood up for her own. She felt truly equal, and relief came at her in waves. She began to cry, as she'd celebrated her quick yet temporary victory against the monster known as Count Mott. It was truly inspirational, for a commoner to stand up against a noble. It was unheard of, and not even the supposedly strongest commoners had done such feats.

And yet, she just did.

The tears never stopped flowing for a while, until she blew her nose on a towel. She only had a limited time now. The count was a water mage, he would be able to heal his own appendage, but she supposed it would take an hour or two at most for both rest and reattaching his member. She needed to act fast.

 _Still, he did say something, about the others downstairs._

It was a terrible idea. If she went downstairs, it would only be suicide for her. Still, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that she should go down there. It was against her every chance to survive, but her heart told her to go on. Mipha's words resounded in her, and she felt oddly compelled to them. In her situation, she was the only one who had the power among her fellow commoners. She was on the run from the monster, and she had injured him. It was her responsibility now to protect them.

An audible sigh left her lips, but a dry smile was present on her lips. "Honestly, how could I be so stupid to do this?" she reprimanded herself.

She would soon find the horrors that were under the Mott Manor.

* * *

 **How was it? Was it encouraging? Was it horrifying, gruesome, and such? Let us know!**

 **Once again, we would like to warn everyone. The next chapter will be most extreme _,_ and it will have triggers worse than this one. The story of Siesta's struggles doesn't end here, and she would soon find herself in a difficult spot as she had with Mott in this chapter. We advise to SKIP the next chapter if you aren't capable of handling anything more extreme than what this chapter provided.**

 _ **This story is M-rated(17+) for a reason. You have been warned.**_


	10. Familiar Arc Finale II - Wisdom's Seas

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter!**

 **Before this chapter starts, we would like to warn everyone once again. This chapter contains _extreme content_ , and it is ill-suited for those who aren't capable to handle such triggers. It contains mortifying elements, and we do not, in any way, support these elements. The next chapter will be free of these elements, and will feature a brief summary of the events that transpired for the past chapter and this one, so there would be no need to worry about what would be missed.**

 **Otherwise, for those who wish to continue to read this, we warn the readers to keep an open-mind, and be prepared for the things that we are about to show you. Fortunately, only the first part of this chapter will feature these elements, as explaining them again later on would be redundant. Still, we would like to remind again to proceed with caution.**

 **This story is M(17+)-Rated for a reason. You have been warned.**

* * *

 _ **EXTREME TRIGGERS AHEAD**_

* * *

 **Firstly, thank you for all of you who have waited for this chapter, and have been anxiously waiting for it! We hope we have satisfied all of you with how the events had gone through in this chapter. We wanted to make Mipha, or any of the characters torture Count in the first place, but we realized that we couldn't do so. They were either children, or pacifists who disliked violence, so we couldn't exactly go any farther than that.**

 **There was also the toll of what it meant to take another human's life, which we would emphasize on _Albion Arc_. However, hopefully we would be able to deliver justice on the count's punishment by the end! However, due to the horrible events that happened to Siesta in this chapter, and the others had seen, it would be safe to say that from this point on, and maybe until a certain point of time, the characters would be dealing with horrible flashbacks of this event. Expect the next few chapters to contain a lot of triggers.**

 **They're only human after all. We can't just make them move on from it.**

 **No uploading schedule for now, but it should be safe to say we would be able to upload at least one chapter a month!**

 **Now for the reviews~**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thank you for reading, and for your feedback! Why, thank you, we truly care for our readers. We don't want to suddenly impact any of you with strong themes without warning, but at the same time, we still want all of you to enjoy our story! Well, even though we have placed the story in M-Rating for a big reason, we still want to take it upon ourselves to warn all of you. We don't exactly wish to harm anyone through our texts, we only wish to delight our readers!**

 **For the realism of the medieval era, we wholeheartedly agree with you how even civilized people of back then could be primitive and barbaric. History had been a bit of our favourite subject, and we wrote the story in this way to honour the events of what happened then. That's why the main theme of the story is Hurt/Comfort with Fantasy as its second theme. Thing would only get darker from here, as we would also involve political power that some fics had simply "killed and pulled through". We won't make it overbearing though, don't worry!**

 **Also, thank you for liking our version of Mipha! Unfortunately, the little girl wasn't Illya-chan from the Nasuverse. The little girl was Arakura Shiori from the light novel "Arachne". It's a fun little story, we recommend you to read it, even though it's not in any sense of a dark fantasy hahaha, but it's still an enjoyable story though!**

 **I lean towards dark fantasy stories as well, and I greatly enjoy the ones that showcase it quite properly! My favourite one has got to be The Rising of the Shield Hero by Aneko Yusagi. It shows that even though you're summoned as a hero, awful stuff can still happen to you- such is the nature of a medieval era - Crowe.**

 **ultima-owner, thanks for reading and liking what we've done with the count! Yes, indeed, the trident will come for him, but perhaps a certain wand would deliver the punishment ;)**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for the feedback, and we're glad to know that you consider our story worthy of the M-Rating! Well, we would like to admit that this story have the elements you've mentioned(Crowe is a gore fanatic :/. He's marathoned the damn Saw Series and Wrong Turn Series for some days ~Aria), but we won't go overboard on it! Hopefully anyway, hahahah, it all depends on the characters.**

 **Also, this would be a chapter that would show you the other LoZ element we've already brought in since the start of the story. We've subtly hinted it, but now we've pretty much made it obvious. Hope you get it ~ Aria.**

 **flo463, thank you for reading, and still choosing to follow the story! Don't worry, it wouldn't be a Yuri Pairing! Crowe and I had finally decided for the pairs, and we decided to keep the normal ships from the anime!**

 **We plan to bring Saito in to the story just like how Siesta was actually born and raised in the FoZ universe. How and which family, we would leave that all to you~ But, he will make an appearance soon, and he would be a major character in this story as well!**

 **ParanoidSylph, thank you for loving the story, and your feedback! We're glad you've ended up enjoying our story to the point we actually managed to stop you from your commissions hahahaha. Also, no need to thank us, rather, thank you for enjoying the story!**

 **Aria also wanted for Siesta to bring his dick along actually, but I pointed out that would be weird for Siesta to do so. It wasn't like Siesta would know what to do with it either, well, maybe use it as a makeshift knife. It wouldn't work out xD - Crowe.**

 **Hopefully, it does serve as a reminder for the others that this meant that they could fight back, despite not having the power at all. That's an interesting suggestion you provided though, and we have certainly taken that into account. Who knows now, maybe Siesta would be the next Mine Fujiko~ Hopefully, our beating down of the count was satisfactory for you!**

 **We're sorrrrrrrrrry btw that we made you drop your stuff and read instead, we'll reflect on it HAHAHAHAHA, but I could relate with what you mean! Nothing ever beats than finding a fanfic that you've been waiting for a while, and it's all up to your standards~ We hope you continue to enjoy this story! ~ Aria**

 **Guest, thank you for seeing our story as worthy of M-Rating! We're glad you enjoyed the "dick-memberment" we've done hahaha!**

 **Unfortunately, Siesta's no longer a love interest for Mipha, althouuugh we can keep teasing you guys for it ;) Gotta make a separate one-shot for that though hahaha ~ Aria**

 **Now without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Siesta**

For all the glory of Mott and his order to seek out the raven-haired maid, it seemed like there was a distinct lack of guards that roamed the halls. The maid didn't know whether to question the vigilance of the guards, or her apparent good luck in evading the guards. Now that she noticed, there had also been the distinct lack of other staff members, such as maids and butlers. The maid could only guess that the lack of staff members were due to them attending to the count with his currently chopped off appendage. Hopefully, that was just the case.

 _Just like the others downstairs._

Those words echoed in her mind. The way the count spoke of it sent shivers down her spine, and Siesta had an inkling feeling that whatever she was about to see underneath the manor, it would leave a scar in her mind. However, even that didn't stop her determination. She knew she had to do this, even though she didn't have to. She felt it inside her, the desire to help her fellow commoners. While the rational side of her was telling her, shouting at her that she shouldn't continue with what she planned to do, she forged on. She tried to keep her footsteps soundless, stepping as softly as she could without a betrayal of her pace. It helped that the floors were all covered lavishly with sewn to perfection carpets. From what little detail Siesta could tell, it must've cost a fortune.

Though, the silence also kept her nerved. Her instincts were telling her to keep a high alert on her surroundings, as the guards could just appear at any moment. Her situation reminded her of the moments she read in one of her novels. It was about a gentleman thief who used his powers of magic to steal from the rich and give it to a poor. Not only was the thief quite astounding, he was also a very powerful mage. _Every night, he would perform heists of high calibre, and sneak around a noble's manor just like this._ Despite herself, she felt excited. She was quite living one of her oldest fantasies right now, even though the situation was less favourable.

The treasure she would find wouldn't be quite as magnificent either.

Still, she felt thrilled. Every step she took echoed back to her in forms of both courage and fear. She was still in fear of being caught by the guards and sent to her death, or worse, to her violation by the hands of the count, but she was also feeling the thrill of doing what was right. She idly noted that she would end up growing for a liking of these types of events, minus the part when she was being raped by the count.

"Have you found her?!" echoed a man's voice from down the hall. A voice answered back, which only served to send further fright on the maid. The footsteps from the horizon didn't help either. She quickly dashed to one of the rooms, and entered it without reservation. She shut the door behind her and winced once she heard the noise she created. "Hey!" another voice called out, and that the maid to move. She frantically looked around the room she was in, and when she realized the room, she blinked. There were countless shelves all stacked with books, and scrolls. There were also a few desks that seemed worn down from usage with stacks of papers and books piled on top of them. There were also a few cupboards, but the room was mostly decorated with shelves and surrounded by red walls. It seemed like she had picked a good room to hide in.

Metal clanged against each other from the outside which fortunately brought the maid out of her stupor. She frantically looked around again, her eyes landed on one particularly large desk. She could hide underneath it that was for sure, but she would be easily found if the guards were to charge into the room. The clanging metal sounded closer to her now, which only made her more frantic. She dashed around the room, and looked from one spot to another. When she heard the voices already outside the door, her blood froze. Was this truly it for her? She couldn't believe such. She looked around for one last time again, and spotted the space between a shelf and the wall. An idea hit her, but she could only hope that her chest wouldn't give her such a problem. She quickly moved over to the shelf, and tried to pull the shelf a little from its spot.

The sound of doors opening reached her ears, and her head snapped to the door in attention. Fortunately the door of the room she was in wasn't open, but it was only a little comfort for her. She tried to push more of her strength into the shelf, but stopped when she realized she would simply just tilt the shelf over and crash in on the ground. She frequently read in her books that once a person was scared, they would be frustrated just as much. The snarl of frustration that escaped her lips surprised her. She crouched down instead, intent to pull the shelf from below instead so she wouldn't have to worry about the shelf leaning forward. However, her skirt got in the way as she'd crouched down, which only served to infuriate her even further.

She ripped her skirt apart, which gave her more mobility, but also served less to protect her modesty. She could notice her indecent underwear she was forced to wear on the sides of her hips, but she couldn't quite care less right now. She huffed as she'd tried to pull the shelf again, but to no avail. The shelf simply wouldn't budge, and another cry of frustration escaped her lips. She looked around once again, and tried to spot another shelf with less content that she could pull and hide on. More doors seemed to be opened, as she could literally feel the banging of the doors, and some being forcibly opened with a kick.

 _I don't have enough time!_ She cried out in her thoughts. She thought about simply giving up; to just sitting down in the middle of the room then crying her heart out. Though, she felt like that would be impossible for her. She simply just couldn't let herself down again. Her conflicting emotions rose in her, as she'd approached another shelf that seemed to have the least amount of contents. She crouched down again and tried to pull. To her surprise, the shelf obliged even though it was still heavier than Siesta could pull. Despite that, she still tried her best as she'd continued pulling and huffing. When the doors and footsteps seemed to come closer to her, she felt some tears trickle down her eyes.

She just couldn't give up yet, dammit, she still hadn't found the man of her dreams! She still hadn't found her prince in shining armor, the noble who would take her in, and nurse her to glory. Her determination refuelled itself as she'd noticed the shelf seemed to pull enough to let her slip in. She quickly did so, but she found another complication. The moment she turned to face forwards, the books where her bust was fell over. She quickly panicked by that point, but she knew she couldn't get out for another spot. She hoped that the walls would hide her breasts as her uniform had the same colour as the well. She'd pulled the shelf towards her as much as she could without being squished in between the wood and wall, and stood still there with bated breath. It didn't help much as she'd heard the door of the room she was hiding in slam open.

She couldn't quite see what was ahead of her, as there were books that covered her sights. She hoped and prayed to the Founder that there were also enough books that covered most of her body, and that her chest wouldn't be noticed by the guards. She heard the shuffling of footsteps, and the clanging of metal which only served to heighten her nerds. She could feel the coldness she felt from earlier again, as her pulse quickened, but she couldn't quite breathe in fear that she would be discovered.

"Nothing here," one of the guards called out. She had to hold in her breathe of relief, but that relief quickly disappeared when she heard another voice. "What about that… thing on the shelf? I've never seen that here before." That was when she knew her spot was compromised, and she had to bite down on her lower lip to stop herself from letting out any kind of noise. She heard the footsteps approach her, and she could feel even dizzier. She had been holding her breathe in for some time already, and she was never really good at it. Her head felt several degrees lighter, and she could barely keep herself standing. "Hm. Nah, probably shouldn't think most of it. The count has a lot of odd collections. I wouldn't be surprised if he misplaced one of them in his work rooms." With that, she heard the footsteps walk away from her, and the door slowly close. She waited there for a moment.

A few more seconds passed, and when she felt that it was finally safe to come out, she quickly took in a few breaths that she missed for the span of a minute or so. Her light head slammed against the book before her, and she heard the books falling over. She froze again, but when no one was coming to check in on the room, she heaved a sigh of relief, before she pushed the shelf to let herself free. Once she was out, she collapsed on the floor, and breathed heavily. _That was terrifying,_ the maid thought. Maybe she should reconsider her opinion about becoming a thief. The thrill she felt wasn't worth to the horror she felt of being hunted down like a woodland animal. She stayed in her spot for a while, and the only indicators of her being still alive was the occasional twitch of her muscle. Once her brain had finally functioned properly, she slowly picked herself up.

A frown entered her lips when she noticed the state of her dress, but she gave it no thought. There were things that could happen to her that were worse to a ruined uniform. She slowly crept to the door, and peeked out of the small opening she created. She idly noticed the guards at the distance, but none of them lingered in the area. She thanked her luck and the Founder for it, as she'd slowly exited the door. She should go for the opposite direction. That way, she wouldn't be found easily. She also thought of following the guards around, but that could raise her chances of being caught. She couldn't take such a risk. Though, her silent walk through the corridors for the next few minutes made her wish that she should've just followed them.

"Seriously, why is this place so big?! Not even the academy has this many halls and rooms, this is crazy," Siesta mumbled to no one in particular. It didn't help that the halls were all so similar to each other. She honestly felt like she was in a labyrinth from one of her books. She had always liked the idea of being one, to be able to go off in an adventure and discover secrets unknown inside a maze. Now she was experiencing the idea herself, she quickly casted away her goal to find a labyrinth. The dangers she were facing didn't make the whole idea worth it. _Well, maybe another time,_ she thought. Maybe if the circumstances weren't as bad, she would try again.

Then, another set of clanging metal echoed down from the hall behind her. She heard the footsteps, and she quickened her pace. She needed to find the stairs to the basement, and she needed to find it _fast_. Fortunately, the carpet on the floor softened the impact of her feet. She loathed admitting, but she was actually thankful of the count for this. It helped her sneak around fast without worrying about making any kind of noise. Still, it took her a while to find the stairs leading down to the basement.

Normally, the stairs to the basement would be present on the main stairs of a manor. The builders made it this way for the convenience of both nobles and commoners. However, Siesta's short experience of working in the manor, it was difficult to find where these supposedly "main stairs" could be. It didn't help that there were stairs _everywhere_ the manor. Siesta didn't know if it was purposely made that way to be confusing for the maids, or more convenient to the count. From what she had seen, the count had been particularly lazy. Once she finally found the main stairs though, there were two guards stationed in front of it. The maid clicked her tongue, and her eyebrows furrowed in worry, and doubt. She obviously didn't have any kind of strength to power through the guards, and she wasn't exactly the brightest out of anyone. The only things she had were his mediocre maid work, and her body.

She didn't exactly wish to be violated again, so she threw her option of using her body out of the problem.

 _What do I do now though?_ was the question that plagued her. She could try to create a distraction, but that would only backfire on her. She could only hope and pray that something would happen that would grab the guards' attention, and bring them away. She crouched down in her despair. Time was wasting away, and she was currently stuck. Anytime now, the count should be healed already. She frantically looked around the area to find anything that could help her, but there were only vases. _Wait, vases._ She had once read a book where people would destroy vases to distract people. It was a stupid plan. She would bait one of the guards with a vase falling then bash his head in with the other vase she carried. Still, it seemed to be the only thing she could do right now. While it would be a low chance of success, she could still at least distract one of the guards. If the other realizes that his partner had gone missing, he would go out to find him too. She slowly picked herself up, and smiled resignedly. Honestly, why was she doing something like this again? She walked over to one of the vases, and picked it up. She carefully carried the vase into a room, where another vase was situated outside its doorway.

Once she had prepared everything, she tipped the vase outside over. The moment she heard the vase crash audibly, she hurried to hide back in the room. The distant clanging of metal confirmed that her little stunt had worked, but here came the hard part. She would need to open the door without taking the guard's attention, and smash the back of his head with it. Firstly, she turned the door's knob to open it, and slowly pushed it open. She winced when she heard the door creak, but, fortunately, it didn't seem to catch the guard's attention. She slowly picked the vase up, and sneaked her way to the door. While it would be just best to suddenly open the door and smack the guard's head in with the vase, her fear won out her courage. She slowly poked her head outside of the door, only to look face to face with the guard she distracted. It was a comical moment, as the two simply stared at each other without reacting.

Fortunately, the maid reacted first. It seemed her one year experience of dodging Louise's explosions that usually accompanied her rants finally paid her well. She quickly managed to swing the door open, and caught the guard off guard. She watched in slight horror as the guard opened his mouth, but she managed to put a stop to it by abruptly slamming the vase on the guard's face. Honestly, she was only glad that the guard decided to wear a helmet that showed his face. Easily, the guard fell over with his eyes closed and a cut on his forehead. Blood cascaded down his face, and the maid paled at her handiwork. She didn't wish to harm a fellow commoner that bad, but what's done was done. Still, she felt guilty and was about to help the guard but stopped when she heard the other guard call out to check on him. She bit her lip, and turned her eye away to rush towards a room and hide there for now. She left a small crack on the door to see through, and be able to sneak past.

The sight of the other guard rushing to his fallen comrade sent disgust in herself. She had just hurt someone else, and she honestly wanted to turn herself in already. Was harming others the right way to protect someone? It wasn't, definitely, and not even Mipha would agree to the motion. While it was for the greater good, there was also still the chance that the "others downstairs" never existed, and that the count was just intimidating her.

 _No, no turning back now._ She had already decided that the moment she left her room, she would go through her plan. If she turned back now, a person who had some power in the current situation, then she wouldn't be any different from the count. She wouldn't want to disappoint her future husband either, if ever he were to find out about this particular adventure. When she heard the other guard shift, she made her move. She took off her shoes, so she wouldn't alert the guard. While the carpet muffled her running noises, it was still audible if the noise was close by. By being on barefoot, she could lessen the risk of being discovered. She slowly opened the door, before she dashed down the hall to the staircase.

She took a quick peek behind her, and noticed that the guard was carrying the other one and was currently running down the halls. A sigh of relief escaped her lips for two reasons. One, she managed to get past the guards without tripping anything, and, two, it seemed like the other guard wouldn't suffer as much. Hopefully, the healer in the manor would patch up the guard, even though Siesta wasn't sure if the manor even had one. The owner was a water mage after all; he might as well be the only healer. When she realized she was being consumed by her thoughts again, she briefly slapped her cheeks. _Focus, Siesta, we're here now._

She stared down the staircase, and the maid couldn't help but feel a strange sense of dread. The stairs that lead downwards felt particularly cold, as if the temperature had dropped underneath. The further she went down the lights went dim compared to the other places in the manor. It was at an atmosphere that was completely out of place. When she remembered what the count had done to her though, it made sense. Her lips quivered, and her breaths turned short when she realized just what she was about to see. In that moment, she quickly turned around to run back up the stairs, but stopped when she heard the clanging of metal closing in on her. It didn't take long for her to find out that she no longer had any choice in the matter, and she needed to keep going.

Tears started to flow from her eyes once again as the emotional anguish that she had felt from her earlier violation slammed down due to the prospect of seeing others who had gone through the same fate, or worse. She wanted to curl up and cry again, be in the embrace of someone to cry her heart out, but such a convenience wasn't available to her. She needed to keep going, to discover the horrors that definitely lied underneath the terrible count's manor. She freely wept as she'd continued her journey downstairs.

The lights were dim, but they seemed to slowly brighten. However, in comparison with the light of the manor upstairs, the lights seemed dungeon-like. It was a horrible mix of orange hue and darkness encroaching from all sides, which only served to aid the growing dread in her. The further she went down, the colder she felt. It was as if she was being violated by the very sources of air. Once she reached the foot of the stairs, she was met with a large wooden door that had iron scaffoldings built on it. She gulped when she saw the door, but she couldn't quite see past it as it had no windows. It looked so stereotypically dungeon like the ones in her books, that she couldn't help but smile slightly over how ridiculous that fiction could be so alike to reality.

Or maybe it was that fiction that was based on reality?

Before she could delve herself further in her short debate, she placed her hand on the door knob. The door had no restrictions, and quickly swung open. Once it did though, she wished she hadn't. There were bodies. Countless bodies that littered the floor, all mixed with a variety of different excretions. The odour of blood, semen, sweat, and faecal matter permeated the air that it made the maid gag and finally throw up whatever contents she had in her stomach to the stone floor before her. Once she stopped puking and dry heaving, she slowly raised her head, only to discover even more horrors. Countless women were chained to the walls, and some of them were already pregnant. A few unfortunate others had a weird rope-like thing dangling down from their nether regions that was connected to a smaller-

 _Dear Founder, that's a baby._

It wasn't just one baby. There were countless lifeless babies on the floor, and the respective mothers had a permanent grieving expression on their faces. None of them seemed to change expressions, and all seemed to still be in shock and denial. She couldn't hear any sound from the people around her. It was as if they were just as good as dead.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and the maid wept once again. The place was truly horrible, as there were countless blood smeared on the walls, and cages that held countless other women and _children_ that seemed so ill-fed that they were quite practically bones. It didn't help that in one corner of the horrible room she was in, that she spotted a naked child and presumably her mother huddling together. They were both covered in white and red substance, something that made the maid felt horrible, and, for once in her life, had _killing intent_ for the count.

"This- this is unforgivable, this is-"

It was just truly horrible. She forced her legs to move, to observe the room she was in to see just _how much_ these people suffered on the hands of the count. She had seen not only women, but also men in the mix. Though, the men were left in a more horrible state. They were all missing at least one limb from their body, while others had their guts completely torn out of their bodies. She easily recognized the men as some of the messengers she would often see in the academy whenever the count was busy, and that sent her reeling back in shock.

"Is-is this how the count punishes the commoners?"

She continued to move, and approached one of the women chained to the walls. Out of all the women chained, she seemed to be the healthiest, but even that was a generous description. There were countless scars all over her body, as if they were healed after a severe beat down. The woman had gorgeous blonde hair, but her equally gorgeous features were marred with the horror etched on her visage.

"A-are you okay?" the maid called out in between her sobs as she'd approached the blonde even closer. The blonde looked up at her, and the maid wept further when she saw how _lifeless_ those two orbs were.

"Oh. Another sheep into the count, fallen into the hands of that wolf. Best savour your remaining innocence, child. Once you are chosen by the count, you can never simply go back."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" the maid asked. Surely, that wasn't the case. A commoner had once escaped the manor; surely she could do the same.

"Everyone here, we're all payments. Payments by our families that the count demanded when our parents are unable to pay or defend themselves from the false charges from the disgusting Royal Court Judge. Payments by people, when we were asked for to warm his bed. There's nothing you can do, but accept it."

By this, Siesta paled. If that was truly what the case here, there was truly nothing she could do. The despair only grew in her, as she'd slowly registered the woman's words in her mind.

"T-that's not true, we can still get out of here, I assure you!" the maid cried out. The blonde smiled at her, before shaking her head.

"I've been here for a few months at most, others had been here for year or years. There truly is nothing we can do in the sheer authority of a noble."

"Please, believe in me, someone can save us from this, I assure you!" the maid pleaded again. She didn't want to see this person giving up hope.

"No one can save you here," a gravelly and angered voice echoed behind her. The maid stiffened, and her blood ran cold. She instinctively turned around, to see the count standing before the door with a maniacal grin on his face. "Water" swirled around him, but it was just truly a horrible mixture of the excretions in the room. They all seemed to branch off into dozens of tentacles with round tips. His hand was clutching his member, but water was surrounding it. It seemed like he hadn't healed himself yet.

 _So, how did he-_ Siesta's thoughts stopped warning, the water attacked her, and she was once again in the situation she was before. This time though, the count didn't play around anymore. Her eyes widened in horror as the water forced itself in her mouth and began moving back and forth- as well as one more that penetrated through her anus. She shrieked in pain as the water began to move inside her, and the count walked towards her.

"It was wrong for me to treat you like any normal girl. I'll rectify my mistake. I'll break you first, before I violate you. I will break you, so you wouldn't rebel against me. Then, that's when I will take your virginity. I will hurt you to the point you wished you no longer lived." His words had a maniacal edge to it. "All of you are just my toys," he continued. "My rewards, my prizes. Commoners are nothing but livestock to us. Those in power have this authority. Do not forget that, you _cunt_."

Tears streaked down her eyes, and her vision blurred once again. Being violated like this was painful, and she wanted to give in. The terrible taste in her mouth made her vomit more, which only helped to clog up her breathing. The fast movement of the other part scrapped against the walls of her ass, and it _hurt_ her horribly. It was like she was being fucked by a knife with barbed wire around it. However, in spite of her pain and timid attitude to immediately curb in to the demands, she couldn't give up hope. She continued to glare at the count, to show her defiance, but the count simply laughed. "There's no hope for you now!" the count shouted as he'd snapped his fingers. By that point, the water moved faster inside her, and the maid passed out from the pain she was feeling.

* * *

 **Louise**

The pinkette didn't know how to react. Mipha, the second most wonderful person she had ever met, was holding the hands of the arguably the vilest and flamboyant boy she had ever met. Well, to be fair, the princess probably did so out of the heat of the moment, but that didn't comfort her well. It seemed like her reactions was shared with the others in the scene, except for a certain blonde who immediately rushed forward.

"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't lead you to him just so you could hold hands with him!" Montmorency yelled out as she'd pried Mipha away from Guiche and took her spot instead. Mipha looked shocked at her remark, and a flush entered her cheeks.

"T-that wasn't what I was doing, I-I'm merely only asking for assistance!" the princess refuted, but the flush and embarrassed way she spoke her piece didn't quite help her remark. The pinkette was about to speak up, but a certainly annoying Zerbst interrupted her.

"What's this, Vallière, has your familiar dropped so low to court Guiche? This is hilarious!" the Germanian said out loud, before laughing. Immediately, that angered the pinkette as she'd turned to the red head with a glare, and her wand out.

"Do not speak that way to her! She's a person, not a familiar, do not misinterpret her, you whore!" the pinkette shouted in her angered fervour. It seemed like her insult had actually hurt the Germanian, as the awful red head stared at her in shock, and anger.

"Wh-whore?! Speak for yourself Vallière, you must've thrown yourself into various males just so you could get into this academy!" the Germanian cried back as she'd stepped up to the smaller pinkette. Louise knew that it was only for intimidation, but it honestly wouldn't work on her. She had seen a scarier person in the form of her mother and elder sister, and Louise knew she could protect herself this time around. Besides, she had enough of Zerbst constantly downplaying her. This was simply all of her anger and pride coming out, and her desire to defend Mipha's pride from this horrible vixen.

"Do not insinuate such things, you damn cow! I came in this academy through my _own efforts_ and no one else's! If anything, that would be you who had done so, we all know how much of a slut you are, you damned Zerbst!" she called out. The red head looked shocked once again, before a snarl finally appeared on her lips.

"You've finally done it, _Vallière_ ," the red head growled out. The pinkette raised her chest, and snarled back.

"You've started this, _Zerbst_ ," Louise hissed back. The two drew their respective wands, and pointed them at each other. A spell was already on her tongue, but her chanting was interrupted by a trident that suddenly posed itself in between them. She easily recognized the trident, and it seemed like the red head as well. The two turned their attention to a very disapproving Mipha, who seemed saddened by their actions.

"Please, do not fight, at least in public. Settle this down like nobles. Louise, while I'm thankful of you protecting my honor, you could've done so with more tact, and, Kirche, please stop antagonizing Louise even further," the princess spoke, before she withdrew her trident, and turned around to face Guiche once again. This time, it was pinkette who was shocked by the princess' words. So much so that she immediately withdrew her wand and a grin found itself on her lips. She felt happy that Mipha thanked her that she was protecting her pride, but the pinkette also felt bad. It was true; she should've confronted the damn Zerbst in a more civil manner, compared to how she just did it. She felt and acted like a barbarian, and it shamed her pride as a noble. Still, she still felt proud. She just had stood up against one of her age-old rivals and bullies, and someone was grateful to her for it. That was enough to quell the anger in the pinkette.

Though, for the Germanian red head, it was obviously not enough. There was still anger in her visage, but it was also mixed with shame, and resignation. The red head sighed, before she followed suit to withdrawing her wand. Though, Louise blinked. Now that she thought of it, had she even seen Mipha was carrying her trident? Had it really come to the point that the princess carried her trident around so frequently, that it felt like it was an extra limb to her by this point?

There were so many questions, but Louise knew she had little time. She turned to Guiche as well now, and watched as the blond and blonde seemed to stare at them in morbid fascination.

"Well? Mipha just pleaded a favour from you, what's your answer?" the pinkette asked haughtily. That seemed to snap the blond out of his stupor, and shook his head.

"Quite honestly, I have no idea why you would ask me for a favour, nor do I have any responsibility to answer to it."

"Guiche!" Montmorency called out, who seemed to be shocked by his answer. Even Louise was shocked, and was about to draw her wand again, but the blond raised his hand up. The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows, and slowly nodded to let him know he can continue talking.

"No, don't get me wrong. I would love to answer her favour, but I truly believe that I'm not worthy to. I had been… _bested_ by this woman in battle, and she had humiliated me and taught me a lesson that I have turned myself blind from. The past few weeks made me realize that, and I… have been going through what you have gone through for the first year."

Now, this caused the pinkette to raise an eyebrow. She couldn't quite honestly believe what Guiche was saying, especially with how he was supposedly going through what she had gone through. Her pain was definitely on a higher tier than his, she wouldn't believe and accept the fact that this damned blond was going through the same pain as her. In fact, that manifested itself on her face, as the pinkette narrowed her eyes in anger at the blond. The blond seemed to flinch at that, and Louise felt the satisfaction of successfully intimidating her foe. The blond turned away his eyes from her, and continued to speak.

"I… have done many awful things to you, and others, and other girls that I toyed with. I was a skirtchaser, I admit that, and that would always be in my nature. Even now, I am holding back my urges to ask your familiar out for a date, but, for the sake of my honour and Montmorency's, I'm withholding myself. I'm sorry for everything I've done, Louise."

Now, maybe Louise was truly surprised. The gasp on her side, probably from Zerbst, made it known to her that she wasn't the only one. For a noble to apologize to another was a truly shameful act. It had never been done without the noble trying to save face right after the apology. However, the blond hadn't. Now that she thought of it, she had barely seen Guiche recently. While she had heard that he had kept his escapades at an all-time low, she hadn't believed it. With the odd noble before her, she honestly couldn't refuse to believe that this was Guiche. He was completely different from the flamboyant boy that she remembered. It was then that his words finally clicked to her, and she realized just who he was apologizing to.

There was a brief silence as Louise struggled in her inner turmoil of emotions. His apology had frustrated her, as it required him to go through a significantly lesser version of her pain to give him the guts to apologize. It wasn't even at the same level of hers, and it truly made her furious. On the other hand, she was delighted. She felt happy that someone else other than Mipha, and, oddly, Siesta, had recognized her. For him to apologize to her meant that he finally recognized her as someone more than a "Zero". It was tearing her slightly apart. Her pride demanded she shouldn't take the apology, but her emotions were telling her to take it. It was a struggle for her.

"I-I," she stuttered as she could not find the right way to express what she was feeling. His apology felt dissatisfactory, as if something was missing. As if there was a lack of sincerity in it, the resolve to do her right after doing her wrong. Her mind took a while, but she finally came up with a compromise. She steeled her nerves, and calmed her emotions away. It took her a few heavy breaths, as the others seemed to anxiously wait for her answer; except for one person. Mipha was smiling at her comfortingly, and Louise knew that if it were possible, the princess would've held her head to encourage her to continue. Some tears tried to escape her eyes, but she held them back. It was a comfort she had always been feeling, but it wasn't one she recognized until now.

She had someone who believed in her, but for some reason, that also sent her some inner sadness. For some reason, Mipha smiling at her encouragingly was lacking, It was as if something was missing from it, like how a potion had a missing component to make itself whole. It certainly worked, but it was _lacking_. It was as if there was supposed to be someone else there who was encouraging her. Like a certain black-haired girl, who was extremely and stupidly blessed in the chest compartment, and a teasing smile that rivalled Zerbst's, but was kinder, and gentler to her.

 _Siesta._

Louise's eyes widened as she'd turned to Mipha. She was slowly connecting the pieces, and she realized the reason why the princess seemed so distraught was and why the pinkette had been feeling ridiculously saddened from the morning. Siesta was missing, and something must've happened to her. The pinkette felt conflicted. To feel something to such an extent for a commoner was below for a noble like her, but she couldn't help but feel the worry for the maid. She turned back to Guiche, her answer had finally reached its completion.

"I refuse to accept your apology." The others looked shocked for that, except for Mipha who seemed to understand why she refused. It all dated back to Mipha telling the story of the two princesses to Louise, who easily understood the meaning behind the story. While it seemed simple, and black and white at first, the more she thought about the story after that day, the more she realized there were more lessons that were hidden inside it. One must prove their words with actions, and it had been something that the kinder younger princess had done when she helped all of those creatures who were in need. A proud smile was present on the princess' lips, and Louise felt proud of herself. She had gotten one right for once! She was definitely no longer a zero.

"Wh-what, you dare? He apologized to you, in public!" Montmorency shrieked. Louise flinched at that, before she shook her head.

"No, I won't accept his apology unless he proves that he means it," Louise clarified. Montmorency looked confused by that, but Guiche looked determined. _Ah, it looks like he was expecting that._

"Then, I will prove myself. How will I prove myself to you that I am sincere in my actions?" Guiche asked. Montmorency looked scandalized, as she'd grabbed her boyfriend's cheeks and turned his attention to her.

"No, Guiche, you shouldn't drop yourself to this level. You're a noble!" The blond shook his head, and gently pried her lover's hands off his face.

"And, a noble has a duty, and that duty is to serve the commoners, my beloved rose. However, that wasn't just what you wanted to deliver, right, familiar of Louise?" Guiche asked as he'd turned to Mipha. The princess looked shocked, before she turned away with an embarrassed expression. Guiche stared blankly at the princess, and so did the pinkette and the others.

"Uhm… no, that was all I've wanted to deliver then," the princess answered softly as she'd refused to look at anyone. Louise felt a weird sense of awkwardness from the princess' answers, and so did the answers.

"Ah, I-I see, well, a-anyways, I've learned something else from our little… bout," the blond answered with a stutter at first, before his tone slowly turned grim. "Since we have this power, it's also our responsibility to how to use it, correct? And I have severely abused it, even towards others of my ranking. I simply used my own status to bolster my way through my beautiful roses-" Guiche coughed there when she saw Montmorency glaring at him. Honestly, Louise chuckled with their interaction.

"And I fed them lies, and deception. I'm truly at fault there, and I must own up with my actions," the blond answered, and he looked the most determined than Louise had ever seen him before. "Besides…" the blond trailed off before that signature grin found itself on his face as he'd turned to his lover. "That would make me look the most handsome out of everyone in the eyes of my lovely rose." The blonde-in-statement blushed a deep red at that, and fawned over him.

"I-I see," Mipha answered, while Zerbst squealed beside her. Louise rolled her eyes, and continued her sentence. Though, she felt a little happy for Guiche. It was nice to see the blond flop was still there, even though he was exhausting to deal with.

"Then, I want you to prove yourself by helping Mipha in whatever she requests you to do. That way you can prove yourself worthy to her, and prove your sincerity to me. How about it? It's two birds and one stone, Guiche," Louise said. The blond looked at her, and seemed to consider her words, before he nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that works. Then, I accept. How do I help you, dear familiar of Louise?" the blond asked. That seemed to snap the princess from her blushing fit, and she turned to face Guiche.

"Simply put, you remember about the conditions of our bout, correct?" the princess asked. The blond nodded grimly. Honestly, the pinkette couldn't remember the conditions. All she could remember was how that event had treated her better than ever before, and it was the start of her better relations with Tabitha, and Siesta- maybe even Zerbst to an extent. She would never admit that part out loud though. "Good, well, I need you to apologize to Siesta by helping her out of her current predicament." Now, that got everyone's attention, but especially Louise's. Now that Mipha confirmed that the maid was missing and something was happening to her, the pinkette was especially worried and borderline paranoid for the maid. Various thoughts entered and left her mind at a fast phase.

"And what is her… current predicament?" the blond asked. He didn't look like he was going to like his situation.

"Simply put, she was taken in by this person called Count Mott to be his slave, and I need your help to take him back," the princess spoke bluntly. Her statement elicited an angry reaction from Guiche, a horrified expression from Montmorency, a confused one from Zerbst, and an equally angered reaction from Louise. The words immediately left he pinkette's mouth without even thinking.

"What?!" both the pinkette and the blond shouted in equal amounts of rage. Louise was enraged about Count Mott. She had already heard of the rumours about the count and how he takes in female commoners to be his mistresses, and how he abuses his current seat of power. Her mother had also shown great distaste for the count, and the Head Judge of the Royal Court, and claimed that they were both traitors to the crown. However, as both of them were both chosen by the Royal Families themselves, search warrants were nulled, and not even the crown princess could do anything against them as they served a great part of keeping the country from falling apart. For Guiche's case, she didn't know actually.

"Revolting, I can see why you approached me for this. Then, I definitely accept your plea, and I swear by my name, Guiche de Gramont, to fulfil your request!" the blond said exasperatedly as he stood up, and flicked his cape. The behaviour brought a smile to Louise's lips. It was nice to see the blond react in the most natural way she had always seen him in. Still, that worried Louise. How could they just go in there, and take Siesta back? Count Mott was the Royal Messenger of the Palace, and if they were to charge in and just take the maid back, they could be sent to prison for such dishonourable actions.

Don't get the pinkette wrong. She wanted to go and save Siesta as much as the others, but, at the same time, she didn't want to. The maid was just a maid; that was it. She was just a commoner. Granted, she was a commoner who obviously supported her with everything she could, and she had a devotion that surprised Louise, but that was it, right? Her thoughts were interrupted when a small voice spoke from behind them that caused her to jump.

"Impossible." The pinkette turned around to see the familiar bluenette, who for once, wasn't holding a book to read. She was holding her staff as usual, but she was _looking_ at them. It was rare for Tabitha to do something like that, so this meant that it was serious.

"Oh, Tabitha! You surprised me, but what do you mean, impossible? Can't we just go in, and whisk the maid out?" the Germanian asked. A frown entered Louise's lips as she'd turned to Zerbst.

"Who asked you to come with us?" The pinkette asked, as she'd crossed her arms.

"Hey, Siesta is my friend as much as she is yours, Mipha's, and Tabitha's. I wouldn't just stand by to see one of my friends be treated so badly like a slave," Zerbst answered with a seriousness that surprised Louise. In fact, it had robbed her of words, as the pinkette just opened and closed her mouth like a fish from the sheer disbelief from the words she heard from the Germanian harlot.

"Impossible, politics," the bluenette clarified, though it wasn't much of a clarification. Louise often found it weird how Tabitha had managed to actually restrain herself from speaking full sentences, but still manage to deliver her point across. What was even weirder was how the harlot could understand her easily.

"Ah, I see," Zerbst said, and Louise sighed in frustration.

"Then, how can we get in without risking the royalties' ire?" Louise asked. She immediately regretted that decision though when the bluenette turned to Mipha, pointed her staff at her, and spoke the word "princess". Immediately, all blood ran from her cheeks, and when she turned to Mipha, it seemed like even the princess paled.

"W-what do you mean?" the princess asked. Her voice was shaky, as she'd seemed to fidget slightly in place. Louise could easily tell that Mipha was nervous. It was one of the few things that the pinkette liked about her, actually. Mipha, for the life of her, couldn't lie when under pressure. She had tested this out one day out of her boredom, and she was surprised about her results. Since then, she had frequently kept an eye for the princess, in case she slips out how she's a princess, or how she's an elf.

Though, it seemed like she had been lacking in that regards.

"You. Princess. Summoning," the bluenette answered. Once again, Louise's blood ran cold. No wonder she hadn't seen Tabitha react during the summoning, and why the bluenette accepted the odd request of sound proofing the room of where they were practicing in. She had been listening on them, through wind magic. Mipha didn't have any words to say, as she was staring at the bluenette in shock, and a bit of fear. She turned to Louise, but not even the pinkette knew what to do in this situation.

"Wait, wait, wait, are you telling me that Mipha over here, is an _actual_ princess, and not dressed up as one!?" Zerbst shouted. Tabitha nodded her head, before she turned to Louise.

"Sound Barrier. Secret," she said and gestured with her hand as if to say that the sound barrier was surrounding them. By then, Louise sighed in relief. At least the damage was controlled, but that didn't stop the reactions from her classmates.

"Dear Founder, so you _are_ a princess, why haven't you told me?!" the Germanian called out. The princess looked on in slight panic, but, unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to rest just yet. This time, it was the blond who called out.

"Dear Founder, I just faced a _princess_ in a duel, how am I still alive," Guiche said. His cheeks paled considerably after it finally clicked in his head how much he disrespected Mipha, and he immediately stood up and grovelled to his feet. It seemed like he wasn't the only one to have reacted that way as even Montmorency had stood up and grovelled next to Guiche.

"I apologize for my boyfriend! I know he could be overbearing and insensitive, but he definitely meant no disrespect to you during your duel, we simply didn't know, please, forgive us!" the blonde pleaded desperately. The blond followed suit, and it soon became a challenge between the two of them how much they could apologize and grovel before Mipha. It had honestly been amusing for the pinkette, except for one thing.

How was this going to play out?

Now that they know she had summoned a princess, she would soon to be the subject to rumours. These rumours would soon spread out, and would get her caught and thrown into the dungeon for turning a noble into a familiar. Then, the royal family will do everything they could to find Mipha's family, even though that was impossible, to bring her back to them, and send gifts to rectify their mistake. Maybe even the pinkette's head on a silver platter, she knows her mother would go that far. She saw the crown more than she ever saw her own daughters.

The panic she felt during the first few days resurfaced in her. It must've manifested really quickly, as she felt a soft pair of arms wrap her from behind, and warmth spread into her chest. She could feel her anxieties washed away from the gentleness of Mipha's "Grace", and she sighed in exhaustion instead.

"Please, stop grovelling, and raise your heads. I don't mind it at all, really, I don't! It's partially my fault I haven't stated my status, but I would like to request everyone here not to speak of my status. We don't wish to spread this out to others, as it may cause severe… complications," the princess said. There was _steel_ in her voice that surprised Louise and reminded her that despite how Mipha interacted like a normal person, she was still a princess.

A very kind princess.

"Oh. You're a noble summoned as a familiar. Yeah, I can see the complications," Zerbst said. Once again, her lack of tact made Louise irritated, but she let it go. She was in the warming embrace of Mipha after all, she hadn't felt something like this in quite a while. Honestly, it reminded her so much of her dear elder sister Cattleya's warmth.

"Yes, I swear it on my name that we won't speak of this again, my apologies again, your Highness!" the blond spoke. Montmorency followed suit, and the two slowly stood up shakily. Still, they looked like they had pale expressions on their faces.

"So, how will Mipha's status as a princess help out in our situation?" Zerbst asked. The bluenette turned to Mipha, though it wasn't much. She just moved her head a bit to stare at Mipha, who was staring at her.

"Professor Colbert, no reports?" Tabitha asked.

"None, he said he would report it to the palace, but I haven't received a reply of them acknowledging my presence- oh." It seemed like the princess realized something that the pinkette didn't. That infuriated the pinkette slightly as she nudged the princess to know what she just missed. In the princess' stead though, Tabitha answered.

"Count Mott. Royal Messenger."

That was when it finally clicked on Louise as well. Of course, it would be natural for a princess to ask why the message of her arrival in the country hadn't been delivered or recognized by the palace yet. It was a message of urgency, and to fail to deliver that to the palace is a _fatal_ mistake of the messenger. Then, there was another thing that she had realized. Regardless of how much she wanted to keep Mipha being a princess a secret, it was impossible from the start. She had completely forgotten in her "Mipha is an elf" period that Colbert had already reported Mipha to the palace for being part of a royal family.

She groaned. Well, Mipha being a known princess wasn't as bad, now that she thought of it. Mipha had already stated her approval before becoming her familiar, so it wasn't as if she was being held a familiar against her will. It was simply the idea of a noble that served another that was going to be the issue.

 _Ah, screw it. I'll just deal with that once it happens._ She could only hope that Mipha's ears wouldn't leak out. Now that would be the misunderstanding that she wouldn't want to deal with, and it could cause for both of their deaths.

While she was in her thoughts, she also noted how Mipha understood Tabitha. It seemed like even Zerbst was surprised as she'd turned to the princess. "You can understand Tabitha?" Mipha frowned and nodded slightly.

"Well, at least now we have a way to get in there. The problem is, we're just all students. Even though Mipha's a princess here, we can't accompany them." The person who said that was Zerbst. Honestly, Louise didn't know if she should be exasperated, relieved, or worried how easily the Germanian could shrug off Mipha's status. It was as if she was born just for the sake of giving Louise heart attacks.

"Ah, I know, we can bring Professor Colbert along then! He was then who relied the message, so it would make sense if he came along, right?" It was Guiche who suggested it. The others nodded their heads in approval, and the pinkette sighed. With a tap of Tabitha's staff on air, the sound barrier around them collapsed.

"Well then, let's go find Professor Colbert," Zerbst said merrily as she'd walked first. The others followed suit, and left Mipha and Louise in the back of the group.

"Louise, it looks like I'll be breaking your order of not creating a scene. I'm sorry," the princess said, who looked genuinely saddened and heart broken. Louise smiled proudly at her. It seemed like despite everything, Mipha truly wished to uphold her orders.

"Don't worry, I understand and I'll let you off the hook. Well, for this time. Next time, I won't be so lenient," the pinkette said. The red head brightened her expression, before a determined face settled down on her. It was one she hadn't seen before.

"Then, it's time to punish a naughty child," Mipha said. The way she said it sent shivers down pinkette's spine. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be good for the count.

* * *

 **Mipha**

It didn't take much to convince the professor to come along with them, which relieved the princess. Honestly, she had already been so tired from mentally exhausting herself, but now she was going to face off which is arguably her toughest challenge yet: to exchange words with another noble. Now, it hadn't exactly been her thing to handle the political problems in her domain. Her father had mostly dealt with them, so it was technically going to be her first dealings with politics. The group decided to travel after dinner, so they wouldn't disturb any of the students, or classes being held in the afternoon. During the waiting time, however, the princess was anxious.

She had practiced several debates in her minds, and tried to create clever remarks and speeches to answer the questions the Royal Messenger could ask. It was going to be hard to bring Siesta over back to them, and, honestly, the only argument she could use was "as punishment, you must return to us the maid you have requested from the academy to redeem for your failures". It was a bad argument, and there were certainly a lot of problems that could arise from that. She could demand even higher, but then she would need to speak with the _actual_ rulers of Tristain. As a princess, she was groomed and prepared to deal with these kinds of things. She had already gone through this during her time at Hyrule Castle, but it didn't mean that she was already used to it. Then, there was also her naturally timid nature. She was truly never one for conversation, and once she did engage in one, it would either end up awkwardly, or an odd talk about anything scholarly. It was why she had hit it off with Tabitha, and Siesta, who were both naturally timid.

Then, there was also the case of Tabitha.

Quite frankly, the Mipha was still in shock that the bluenette had _eavesdropped_ on them, and had always known that she was a princess. Though, she supposed it would make sense. The bluenette had been nothing but completely respectful to her. Even though it was hard to tell the difference, it was simply thanks to Mipha's experience of being able to read other's expressions that she was even able to tell that she was respected by the petite mage greatly. Now though, it made sense. She was thankful of the bluenette, but that also made her raise some suspicions about her.

Particularly, how there was a huge chance that Tabitha was a Knight, or probably a noble higher than anyone else in the academy. It was her mannerisms and her attentiveness to detail that struck odd for her, and there was also her level of maturity that wasn't present among the other students. Not even her master, Louise, had carried herself as such. Perhaps it was due to some events in her past that lead her to who she was today, but Mipha doubted they were anything near peaceful. In fact, the way she acted had painfully reminded her of Link. The two of them had obviously closed off their emotions, and the two spoke the least amount that they could.

Fortunately, her musings were brought out of her when Louise entered their room to inform them that dinner was ready. As usual, they ate in the halls, but Mipha frowned when it wasn't Siesta that served them a meal. Fortunately, she had grown used to using the utensils, so eating was a fast matter for them. Few words had been exchanged between the two, however, as they were too tensed about the upcoming event. For one side, it would be purely on the princess on how this matter would play out, and it would be her responsibility if things went awry, or not. The other, it was simply because they were going after a noble that was stronger than them. Honestly, if Mipha wasn't a princess, the red head knew that the pinkette would be panicking even further right now. Fortunately though, Louise had finally allowed Mipha to use magic, if only under the condition she were to wave her trident like a staff. It was a ridiculous motion, but Mipha understood. So, when they finished their dinner, they immediately went out to the three carriages that Professor Colbert had called.

They were amazing carriages. It wasn't like anything that Mipha had ever seen; granted that most Hylians preferred to ride on the back of horses than ride on carriages. Only the king and his royal family had ever ridden in a carriage, but even that was a rare event. In a sense, this would be one of the few times Mipha would've ever seen such a mechanism, and it would be her first time getting in one. Of course, that meant that she also didn't know how to ride one. Fortunately, she was shown the ropes how, thanks to Professor Colbert who had opened the door for her, and motioned for her to climb in. She liked the comfort of the chairs she sat on, and even greater that she could see the world outside of the windows. Since they were many of them, and the carriages could only, unfortunately, carry four people at a time, the group decided to split themselves up. Surprisingly, it was still Guiche who had split them up, and she found no qualms about his plan. Not even Tabitha spoke up, which meant that Guiche had truly done well.

True to his word it seemed that Guiche had shown a lot of effort in this operation. The first carriage was to contain Tabitha and Montmorency. Out of all the mages in the group, the two were the perfect combination as wind and water usually went together. Tabitha's experience would also help the group from their inexperience, and, in a sense, they served as the group's vanguard. The second carriage will have Guiche and Kirche together. While it was a pairing that Montmorency had extreme qualms about, Guiche's point made sense. He served as the messenger, and he still needed protection, regardless of anything else. It also made sense that he would be in the middle as he could summon golems that could be a last line of defence to protect Mipha if things went awry.

While, it would be better for the golems to go first actually, it would also be bad if the caster of said golems were in front. If the caster was taken out, so would be the golems.

Of course, the last one had Louise, Mipha, and Colbert. They all unanimously decided to keep Louise and Colbert together with Mipha. Not only would this serve as a better protection for the princess, but also to prove her credibility. Louise's mother was Karin the Wind, and Professor Colbert was once rumoured to be a part of the military of the country. Mipha was also on the last, as she was to be the guest, and usually must be presented with the greatest glory they had to offer.

Mipha was truly impressed. It seems that despite all of his flamboyancy, Guiche had cards to play. When she asked him about this during their strategy meeting, it was revealed to her that Guiche was actually a son of a Marshal. It made sense for her that Guiche would know about warfare.

And so, the carriages set off to move. It had been a quiet movement as well, as everyone was all tensed from their operation. Mipha was staring outside of the window and stared into the night sky, which only served to add up to her nerves. She didn't know how things would play out, and from what little she knew from the count, she knew that the person was unreasonable. It would take a huge amount of will and determination from her to get her words across. While she knew she had enough, she wasn't confident in her ability to deliver speeches under pressure.

She also didn't know if she would be capable to harm him. While she was still a strict person, she would never verbally beat down another person. She would chide them and scold them, certainly, but she never once hurled insults at others. Not even during her time when she had her bout with Guiche, she had still been respectful to him, despite how she let her emotions run amok. When everything seemed to be at odds against her, she decided to pray. She clasped her hands together as some form of prayer, and she closed her eyes. She distinctly heard the gasp of the professor, and one of awe from her master, but she continued. She needed this, or she might not be able to go through with the plans. Guiche had planned so much for her presentation, and such, it wouldn't do well for her if she presented herself unsightly.

Hence, why she also took a bath, and changed out of her outfit into the one she wore when she had been summoned. It had been a while since she had worn it, and she had to smile awkwardly when Kirche commented about how in the _Founder_ she missed the fact that Mipha was a princess when she was practically wearing her status.

 _Dear Goddesses, heed my prayer. Dear Nayru, pour unto me your wisdom, and provide me the spirit of your law. Dear Farore, provide unto me the richness of one's soul. Dear Din, provide me the power and cultivate my spirit to match those before me. Dear Hylia, protect us from harm, and evils that would tempt us._

After she finished her prayer, she slowly opened her eyes and noticed that the two other people in the carriage had been staring at her. She blushed deeply from the attention, and fidgeted in place. The attention she had been getting from the others was too intense for her liking, which caused her to burst out: "Wh-what's wrong?!" Fortunately that got them out of their stupor as the two flinched from the loudness of her voice.

"A-ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare, but, uhm, it's just whatever you were doing, there was this odd tria-" whatever Colbert was about to ask, however, was abruptly interrupted when their carriages suddenly stopped, and the loud voice of Guiche that seemed to be intensified further by Tabitha echoed throughout the place.

"Count Mott, also known as Mott of the Wave, Royal Messenger of the Palace, we have come to you in the question of your duties! A few weeks ago, the beautiful rose Princess of the Zora Kingdom have informed the academy of having arrived, and has had a letter delivered by Professor Colbert to announce her presence. However, the Princess hadn't received a reply despite the time length of when the letter was sent, and you had been reportedly visiting the academy yourself. The Princess wishes to seek an audience with you, to confirm if you have truly received the letter, and if you had it delivered!" the blond spoke out. Honestly, it was too loud that Mipha had to cover her ears. Unfortunately, her covering her ears hadn't stopped her from hearing the blond's complement, which only made her blush in embarrassment. Once the boy's speech was done, there was the clamouring of guards telling Guiche to leave, but also a few calling for the count.

"I swear, did he even need to do it so dramatically? He could've just said that Mipha requested an audience, or something," Louise mumbled. The professor chuckled nervously.

"Well, he is still a child. I suppose it makes sense." Louise groaned from the professor's reply.

"Why didn't we have anyone else write the letter?" Louise complained more, and it was Mipha who chuckled nervously this time. Guiche had also fabricated a name for her, which she would hear later. She felt the carriage move, to presumably place them into the center of the gates so she would be presented wonderfully. By this point, the visage on both Colbert and Mipha had changed into serious ones that it surprised Louise and struggled to put on a serious visage as well.

"it seems like it's begun. Let's go out, Louise. It wouldn't be best if Guiche presented Mipha, and we were the first who came out," the professor spoke as he'd opened the door and left the carriage. Louise nodded, but didn't leave yet. She looked at Mipha in worry, which made the princess feel happy. Honestly, for her master to worry for her like that, it was sort of unfair. She smiled at the pinkette, and comfortingly patted her head.

"I will be alright. Go on ahead, I will take care of my part of things, don't worry. I won't do anything huge," she said as she'd continued patting her head. Louise nodded, and gave the princess a brief hug before she left. Then, the princess was alone in the carriage. She sat in there for a while, and Guiche had to repeat his entire speech a few times, which only made the princess feel more embarrassed and developed the need to dig up a hole and hid in there for eternity.

Also, there was the case of Mipha feeling more worried. They had come here with nothing but the letter as their only argument point, and that was it. Anything else Mipha would end up saying, they would be mostly improvised on the spot, and she hated doing things without a plan. Even then, she knew that despite she had planned the debates, it wouldn't end well either. She already planned to give Link the Zora Armor she made him, but even then, she hadn't continued with the plan. Thankfully, midway in one of Guiche's repeated speeches, a gruff and angered voice called out. It marked the start of the operation, and also put some of her worries to rest.

 _It's starting. I should stop worrying._

"Stop this nonsense, what are you doing in front of my manor in the middle of the night?!" the voice shouted. He seemed very agitated, but for different reasons. That much Mipha could tell, but there was also something there. It was a familiar sensation, but she couldn't quite put her thumb down on it.

"Presenting, Princess Mipha de Zora from the Zora Kingdom!" Guiche shouted. Right on cue, the door to her carriage opened, and she knew that it was finally time to move. She closed her eyes, and cleared her thoughts. _This is it._ She said to herself. _You can do this. I won't fail. Not this time around._ A brief flash of Link's face entered her thoughts, and that's when she opened her eyes. She slowly stood from her chair, and stepped out of the carriage. Her chin held high, and her eyes narrowed to present her distaste, she could see the _bare fear_ in the man's eyes before her. _Every_ step she took, she stepped on them with _grace_ ,and every stepped seemed to magnify the fear the man was feeling. Her trident held firmly on her hand, and she had it held like a most prized possession. Once she had finally reached the front of the humongous manor, she performed a truly elegant curtsy. However, she didn't make the curtsy subservient. She had kept her gaze on the count, and once she finished she slammed the other end of her trident on the floor.

She kept her head held high, and her gaze condescending. It wasn't exactly hard to do, she had been giving similar glares to the Rito Champion whenever he spoke smack about her beloved. It didn't mean she liked giving them though, but she supposed in this case, the count deserved it. He was a truly horrible noble after all.

"Are you Count Mott, the Royal Messenger of the Palace?" she asked, her tone steeled to the point it was refined. There was no hole for her emotions, and a full guard from her intents. The fear she saw in the man's eyes seemed to subside, and was replaced by one of arrogance. Her eyes narrowed by this point, but she also felt a bit of exhaustion wash over her.

"Yes, I am Count Mott, it's a pleasure to have you in my residence, your Highness," the count spoke and kneeled before her. He had his hand raised, presumably for the princess to offer her hand, and for him to kiss it. Mipha had read of such traditions, but she never quite understood it. Still, one thing's for sure, it was that this person hadn't truly understood his position. For him to take arrogance and ask for the princess' hand like that infuriated Mipha. Such arrogance never stood in place in nobility.

It was then that Mipha reminded herself that she wasn't handling a child, but a full grown adult. There were no rooms for mistakes, and certainly no room for _mercy_.

"Rise. You are not worthy for my hand," she _ordered_. In the corner of her eyes, she could see the guards and her friends recoil from what Mipha could perceive to be as a harsh insult. It seemed like that had seemed to be the case for the count as well as he stood up with barely hidden irritation in his eyes. Now that she noticed, the count looked deranged, and messy. His attire was all messed up, and his hair seemed to stick out of place. If anything, he looked very indecent when meeting a princess. With the count's state, Mipha realized that it wasn't going to be hard to slip into her princess persona; not when she was being greatly disrespected like this. It greatly reminded her of the nobles back at Hyrule, and how they would badmouth their princess behind her back. It angered her greatly, and even more how Guiche had angered her. She narrowed her eyes at the count, and she could see the fear in his eyes swim back in place. She honestly wanted to stab her trident into the count, and just be done with it.

Though, she knew that was just her emotions talking. She tried to quell her anger, and continued to speak, but just like her situation with Guiche, she let a bit of her anger out.

'You have disrespected me thrice already, _Count._ Would you like me to list it out? Firstly, you had not informed the palace of my arrival in the academy and had yet to provide me a proper reply despite the urgent nature of the letter announcing my arrival. Secondly, you have also abstained me and my helpful aides from meeting you and called my desired meeting with you as 'nonsense', and rather than directing me inside your manor the moment you saw me, you decided to have the talk outside.

Thirdly, you come outside of your manor, dressed in an awful manner and presented yourself in a way that no noble should present themselves before a _royalty_. You have done me three mistakes already, _count_. Be glad that you weren't in my domain. If I were the princess of this country, I would've had you executed," she said. Fortunately, her words had the intended effect as the people around her looked like their breaths taken away by her. For the count, he looked scared to death, but his arrogance had kept him going.

Though, for Mipha, once her words finally clicked in her brain, she felt like crawling into a hole again. _I'm letting my anger go amok again._ Of course, the threat was empty. She would _never_ order anyone to be executed regardless of their offence. Maybe imprisoned, but never executed. It didn't help that her supposed "subjects" were currently staring at her in awe that she truly wished to break out of character and tell them to stop staring at her like that.

"A-ah, I've truly done you wrong, your Highness. Please, allow me to escort you to my manor and let us speak properly about it," the count managed to speak up. His voice was still laced in arrogance, a tone that greatly annoyed Mipha. She would get to that later. The count gestured for them to enter the manor, and lead them inside. On their way though, Mipha loathed her luck. Despite the nature of the visit, the count's manor had truly been beautiful. The place was well maintained, as well as the garden that the count had kept in front of it. The manor itself had been _huge_. It might be comparable to the academy, but Mipha had a feeling that it would be larger inside. Once they did enter the manor though, Mipha was taken away.

Truly, the manor had been beautiful. It was a shame that such a terrible person owned the place, and it was one that she would hopefully manage to right soon. During their way though, Mipha had kept an eye out for Siesta. A frown entered her lips when she couldn't seem to find her dear friend and also any other staff for that matter. The count led them to a room, and she gestured for the princess to sit down on a couch before a table. The count naturally took the couch adjacent to hers. She heard the shuffling of feet behind her, and confirmed that it was her aids standing behind her.

"Ah, your Highness, wouldn't it be proper to have them leave the room? Surely, our topic would be of a private business," the count suggested. Mipha held herself back from clicking her tongue in disgust as a reply. Colbert had warned them that the count would try to get Mipha alone with him, and it seemed like the professor was current. Idly, she noted Louise's hand on the side wrapping around her wand in case the count decided to be uncivil.

"No, they are here in the concern of my well-being, and they also serve as our witness of the transaction which is about to take place between us. If it were only you and I, you can spin the story to your favour as the people here know you more than me," Mipha replied. This time, it was the count that seemed to hold back from clicking his tongue, as he'd regarded the other mages in the group. "Also, I have been curious, where are your subjects? Surely there should be some patrolling the manor at night."

The count seemed to panic slightly, and he wiped the sweat on his forehead with his cloth. Mipha didn't like that sign. Was he doing something to them?

"Very well, I suppose that makes sense. For my subjects, one of them have… ah, disappeared in the middle of the night. I've sent all of them to look for my missing subject. Anyways, your Highness, why have you sought an audience with me, your Highness?" the count asked. His arrogance seemed to be displaying in full blow now, as Mipha couldn't see barely a trace of fear in his eyes. _He must have something in the manor that's giving him confidence. Though, a missing subject? That could be Siesta… I need to act._ With that point, she closed her eyes. She dove deep into her soul, and unlocked her ocean of Willpower. It had always been quite the experience for her, as she'd felt the familiar power run its course through her veins. However, she kept the process in stealth.

She peeked an eye at the count, who didn't seem to notice the change in the princess. Mipha sighed in relief at that, as she stretched her senses out. She was quickly able to tell that the room she was in had many water spots hidden from the back of the walls. There were even a few water pipes below the room, and some sort of magic being used underneath his clothes. Honestly, Mipha didn't know why there was magic underneath his lower parts, but she also didn't want to know. Somewhere even further below as well, she could vaguely feel water magic being enacted. A frown entered her lips, but she was broken out of her concentration when she heard the count snort. "Pft. Losing our nerves, aren't we, Princess? Not very princess like," the count spoke. She quickly thought of a reason, as she cut off her connection with her senses temporarily.

"No, I'm merely supressing my anger over the level of idiocy you're presenting right now. Hadn't my subject told you already about the nature of my visit?" Mipha asked as she'd opened her eyes. _I need to find a way to find out what's happening down there. I could try to stretch my senses further, but I need to distract him simultaneously._ Normally, she would try to dismiss this. It might just be a healer healing someone else or a vault, but it had been in the nature that the magic was _underground_ the manor. There was also the case of the missing staff, and one who seemingly disappeared. "Do try to control your disrespect towards me. I could just have you drowned," she said as she'd subtly hinted her knowledge of the room she was in. She inwardly smiled to herself over her clever way of telling that she knew what was behind the walls. The count's eyes seemed to widen, before he narrowed them at her.

"What do you mean, princess? How can you drown me, when there's no water here in sight?" the man asked. He was deliberately goading her into revealing her secret, and it was one that Mipha easily caught up on. Thankfully, he heard enough of that tone whenever the nobles belittled Zelda and her achievements.

"Oh, it's a traditional punishment in my kingdom. We live in the far ocean, you see, and our execution comes in the form of drowning," the red head spoke nonchalantly. The man squinted at her, before he nodded to accept her answer. The red head cheered silently, and left out a sigh of relief internally. She knew that the count would question her authenticity as a princess, so she went ahead to devise a plan. Fortunately, much of the world's oceans hadn't been explored, so she could easily merge her true origins without entirely making it a lie. It would be half-truths at best, but that was better than outright lying. Still, it had been nerve-wracking for her. There was still the chance that the count wouldn't accept the _only explanation_ she devised to prove her authencity.

"I see. It's a little strange that we've never heard of your civilization," the count spoke as he wiped the sweat off his forehead once again. The princess found that weird, and she was slowly seeing signs of possibly Willpower exhaustion. _Perhaps, he's the one powering up the magic deep underground…?_ Then that meant all the more she needed to know just what was happening underneath the manor. If it were a protection to a vault, then the count should've just used a Willpower Stone, or something of that calibre. Surely as a royal, he should have his hands on some. The princess realized she had been silent for a while, and spoke.

"Simply none of you had ever decided to go out and discover just what is beyond the waters _beyond_ Halkegania. I'm the first in my generations to go out and make contact with your country." This would also help explain why she didn't seem to be familiar with the traditions of the country. Honestly, this was a better story compared to just saying that she came from another world outright. The count was silent by that, and bit his lip. It was true that none of the countries had ever decided to go beyond the waters, and Albion had been their only discovery. Not even during the time of Brimir had he decided to venture forth was beyond the waters. Mipha took advantage of this momentary silence to stretch out her senses once again. It had been rather difficult, as the masses of water in the room had blocked most of her senses, which meant she would have to make do with the water that existed in the air.

"Now, for the detail I have come here for, why haven't you delivered my letter to the palace?" Mipha asked, but still kept her concentration in weaving through the manor with her senses. It had been difficult for her to find a way around as the manor had a number of hallways, and numerous stairs. The general location of the magic being enacted she could feel was several feet below the main floor. That much she could tell, but to get there, she simply couldn't. She tried to make her job easier by creating water, and using the water to lead her to the source, but it only became harder to control. She gave up on that idea, and went back with just using her senses. It was like jumping from one rock to another while in mid-air, it had been that difficult.

Also, there had been bodily interference. By using her senses and quite _feeling_ up the area around her using the moisture in the air, she could sense countless people rushing around the manor in search for something. However, Mipha knew that in this case, it was _someone_. Of course, Mipha couldn't tell who they were. She could only tell that they were people, and nothing more.

At the same time, she watched the count's reaction to her question. He looked as if he had bitten down on something sour, and she could quite literally see the count devising something in his mind. He was thinking hard on her question, that it made her task easier to find the odd source of used magic. Once he replied though, she quickly stalled her progress.

"Ah, I had plenty of reports to deal with as well, you see. It had been incredibly difficult to keep track of the letters that come and go," the count tried to reason. Mipha frowned at that. _Are- are the nobles here really that bad at lying? Even Daruk could lie better than him, and that's saying something_. Honestly, she didn't know whether to be disappointed or amused by this point.

"However, Colbert here had stated that you frequently visited the academy regardless, and you have received the letter from him. He had even explicitly stated to you that the letter is of utmost importance, and had even told you what the letter entailed. Have you been failing on your duties as a messenger then, _count_?" Mipha asked. The count looked incredibly angered at that, and immediately answered.

"How would I know that the princess they were speaking about had been a real one? I receive plenty of letters that masquerade as princesses, and most of them had been false!" His sudden outrage had almost cracked Mipha's façade as she hadn't quite expected an angry outburst. It took everything she had to stop herself from flinching as well. _Definitely Willpower exhaustion._ When a mage had his Willpower depleted slowly, they would show signs of fatigue and mental instability. Some would even fall to sickness, and the count was _definitely_ showing signs of it. Mipha opened her mouth to speak, but it was Colbert who spoke out instead.

"Why would a prestigious academy, like the Tristain Academy of Magic, provide a fake letter? Do you even hear what you say?!" He shouted in anger. His speech had been passionate, and his eyes were filled to the brim with so much anger and distaste for the count before him. She looked around as well, and noticed that the students were in a similar state. Not even Tabitha was able to hide her anger from the count. She noted all of these, and thought about stopping it before the fire roared even higher. However, she thought that this may also be an opportunity. Princess Zelda had told her that people would often reveal truths while they were angry. Maybe she could use this as an opportunity to add some ammunition in her arguments against the count. While that was happening, maybe she could search for the origin of the used magic she could feel.

Still, it didn't bode well for her. If things went awry, she wasn't sure if she could defend everyone in the room from the count's ire. It was a complete gamble, and she could only hope that things would go well. She closed her eyes once again, and dived into her senses.

She was honestly thankful to herself that she had been practicing to use her magic nonstop. She had mastered using her senses to the point that she could scout the entire academy without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, that meant she needed to concentrate while she did so.

"Bah, academy or not, all of you are still not credible enough! You may be nobles, but only those of the highest power are to be trusted!" the count shouted back. There was a heavy outrage from the students' side as each one of them protested about what the count had stated. Despite her concentration in finding the source, she noted that Tabitha hadn't joined in the shouting. She wanted to see what Tabitha was doing, but she was too deep into her concentration to know what was happening.

"You forget, Count, that you're only recently placed into your position! Have you forgotten that the academy has the vault of this country's most dangerous weapon?" the professor shouted angrily as he'd raised his staff. The count's eyes widened in recognition, but laughed it off. An arrogant tone took place in his voice.

"Bahahaha! It's not like your academy could protect such a fragile piece of weapon. No one can even wield it!" The professor angrily stomped forward, and the count met his steps.

"Go on, try it, old man. Hurt me, and the whole country will go after you," the count spoke arrogantly with his grin had stretched from ear to ear. Colbert, on the other hand, had felt _dangerous._ Mipha could feel the flames that were quite literally sprouting from her staff, and the magic in his robes intensified. Honestly, the red head was worried. She wanted to stop her concentration, and open her eyes to quell the situation, but she knew she couldn't right now. If she let loose of this opportunity, she might never find out what was happening underneath the manor. It might be something important after all.

In the silence that followed after it, Mipha had gone through leaps and bounds in her search for the magic source. She had searched through half of the castle during the time frame of their argument, and had finally found the way to the source of the magic she had been feeling. She dwelled deeper, and frowned when she felt that the deeper she got, the thicker the water and magic around it got. It would take her some time to go through.

"Not when they discover what you had been doing behind their back, Count Mott!" This time, it was Guiche who shouted. Everyone, minus Mipha, had turned to him in surprise when he spoke out. "We heard of the rumours, Count Mott. You have been taking in slaves for your own, and been taking away women from countless families!"

"Shut up, brat, those are just some baseless rumours!" the count shouted angrily.

"Really? Then how could you explain the commoner who had escaped from your manor, he had plenty of injuries, and he even had the contract that you gave him! He had told countless horrible stories about what you've done, you monster!" Guiche continued to shout. By this point, Mipha had finally passed through the thick layer of water and magic, and had reached the source. It was hard to describe, it was as if a bunch of water was moving erratically and frantically around an odd base. She slowly tried to control the water to see what it was holding, but when she could vaguely make out the shape of a human body as she did so, she immediately left it. Her eyes widened in horror as she just realized what the water _could_ be doing, and that very horror had snapped her out of her concentration, and turned to the count.

She had been taught enough biology to learn how Hylians had reproduced, and Mipha had guessed that it probably worked the same among humans. To know that magic could be used that way, she felt _scandalized_. She felt every hair in her body stand up, and the sheer _anger_ she felt made her see red.

 _Horrible, this man is horrible,_ was what circled around her mind.

"Pft, you have chosen to choose the sides of commoners now? How pathetic!" the count shouted. Her horror had added up to seeing the chaos of the room had made her pick up her trident and slam its other end on the floor with the strongest force she could muster. As a result, a really loud noise of porcelain cracking had echoed in the room that stopped everyone from talking and turned their attention to the princess.

"Silence," Mipha _ordered_ , and the room fell immediately into silence. She sent a _glare_ at the count that made him flinch. Unfortunately, the count glared back at her angrily as he'd pointed at the floor. Perhaps at any other time, she would've been a bit scared from the expression the count had, but now wasn't like any other time.

"You are going to pay for the damage you have caused in my manor. Not only have you come to my place unannounced, you have broken the peace here, and even caused damage to _my property_. If you truly are a princess, you're a bad one!" the count shouted at her. On her side, she saw Louise flicked out her wand. She smiled softly at that, when she realized that despite the fear that was present in her eyes, she still wanted to protect her. Though, that smile died when she turned her attention back at the count, and how she wished to skewer him. Her killing intent found its way to traverse through her body, and it visibly affected the count. The count took a step back from the princess, but kept his arrogance.

It might be time to end this charade. In the first place, they had arrived here with nothing, but the letter as their only basis. The argument would eventually come to a stop, and the only solution would've been if the count was to deliver the letter, and that was it. Mipha was worried that the whole thing would end there, but she was thankful for her observations to have noticed the missing staff, and the _scandalous_ magic underneath the manor.

She dearly hoped the one being held there wasn't Siesta. If she was, the princess knew she wouldn't be able to handle it anymore, and, for the first time in her life, would have the count _severely punished_ for his actions.

"I couldn't help but feel concerned of the things they speak about, count. Can you care to explain?" Mipha asked. Though, she didn't need to know. She already knew what the count was doing behind everyone's backs, and it was still that truly horrified her. The count's glare at her deepened, and answered scathingly.

"Nothing but baseless rumours, princess. It's nothing you should worry about; they're _not_ your people!"

"That's certainly true, but it's still within the best interests in my country to learn how the nobles here treat their subjects. It would dictate the future of our kingdoms' relationship after all. We love our people rather dearly, and from how terribly bad my subjects are speaking about you, then there should be a reason why you are hated this much," she said as she'd feigned innocence in her features. She still dearly wished to impale the count with her trident though, and it must've shown with the strength behind her grip on her trident. She could quite feel her blood draining from her fingers.

"N-no, like I've said, they are all baseless rumours to slander me!" the count shouted again. Quite frankly with how the count was defending himself, he was already suspicious enough. Mipha slowly stood up this time, and kept her eyes trained on the count. Usually, the princess was patient. She would take things slowly, and take things as civil as possible without escalating the situation. It had been the case with Guiche, when, while she had partaken in the match, she had stopped the duel, and spoken out against it instead. It had been the case with Revali, who had been bashing Link nonstop with his arrogance. It had also been the case with Link, who had seemed to constantly refuse to open himself up to her.

However, that patience was capable of being thinned. Such was the case right now. The count was obviously not respecting her position as he had still held himself with strong arrogance. He had obviously abused that arrogance, and that sparked _righteous_ anger in the princess. It was unlike with Guiche, who had simply been misguided with the notions of the nobles. This person had actually _used_ it, had _abused_ it.

" _Certainly, it is not a perfect rule either. Indeed, there would be those who would seek to abuse the weakness of the royalty, and there would be those who would look down upon a race that only knows compassion, and none of brutality."_

 _Her father turned to her, and chills went down her spine. The glint in her father's eyes terrified her._

" _So, that would mean that we must be powerful as well to back it up."_

She didn't even bother acting stealthily this time, as Mipha _released_ her effects were immediate. _Everyone_ in the room had dropped to the floor, and all seemed to be under tremendous strain. With a wave of her trident, she _willed_ the waters from the walls to burst forth, and form into sharp tendrils that encircled her. She didn't feel any resistance as the waters _obeyed_ her will.

The walls crashed down in a flurry that caused Montmorcency and Kirche to yelp from surprise. She hadn't paid them any heed, as she _revelled_ in her powers. She felt truly powerful, and her senses seemed to dull from the course that ran through her veins. She idly watched the waters encircle her, but she didn't stop there. In anywhere she went, people respected _power._ Even the Zora, no matter how peaceful they were, respected power and it was through her father's show that they called him as a righteous king.

In her trance, she called upon the water from the water pipes underneath, and had forced them to freeze. Right after, she _commanded_ the ice to shoot upwards in forms of spikes as she'd slammed her trident on the floor once again. The floor she stood underneath them crumbled from the pressure as cracks were forced to appear until several spikes burst into the surface. It was then that she heard Louise shriek, and Tabitha chant a spell to cause them to levitate.

The sheer _fear_ she felt from the pinkette snapped her out of her trance. It was as if the mirror broke before her, and her mental state finally clicked in with the situation. She looked around as if she was suddenly in possession of her body, and her eyes widened in horror at the state of the room. She had made quite a mess. Severe shame burned through her, as she quickly willed everything to return back to normal. The water had slowly returned to their rightful places, and the ice had melted and returned back to the water pipes. She turned to her kneeling friends and quickly walked over them to check on their situation. Fortunately, none of them seemed harmed, but they were definitely staring at Mipha in alarm. There was fear in their eyes, and they flinched when they saw the princess approach.

When she saw that, she had stopped walking towards them altogether.

"I-I'm sorry," Mipha said, as she felt tears on the corner of her eyes. She had shown a truly horrible display to what was virtually a bunch of young teenagers. By displaying her power and _revelling_ in it, she had proved that even she was no different from the others. Her mouth opened again to apologize, but was interrupted. Immediately, she felt something slam into her and pull her into a tight embrace.

"Don't do that again," the voice mumbled into her as the princess felt a few tears stain her dress. She looked down to see the familiar pink hair, and she let some of the tears fall down. She nodded her head, and embraced the pinkette back. Truly, she had received a compassionate master. She saw Tabitha in the corner of her vision approach her and put a hand on her shoulder as well.

Then, she could feel water hardening, and shot itself at her. She turned around in time to see the ice spike launch its way towards her, but, out of nowhere, fire consumed it. Mipha was shocked, as she'd turned to who could be one of the only two users of fire in the group: Kirche.

"W-what was that?" the terrified voice of the count called out from behind her.

"That-that was the power of our princess!"

To her further surprise, Kirche defended her. She seemed to have been taken out of her stupor and surged forwards to defend her.

"I-Indeed! You, who have angered the beautiful rose, were subjected to the sheer power of our princess, apologize in this instant!" It was Guiche who yelled next as he'd stood up and walked next to Kirche. Mipha's eyes widened as she'd stared at the two of them, who only gave her an apologetic smile. She turned to Tabitha, who had tapped her shoulder, and nodded at her.

Truly, she was adored by such wonderful friends. While Montmorency and Colbert still looked terrified of her, Kirche, Tabitha, and Louise had snapped out of theirs to aid her. She felt touched by their support, and it had made more tears to flow out from the edges of her eyes.

"P-power of a princess?! That wasn't a power of a princess, th-that was the power of a monster!" the count shouted. By that, Mipha flinched, and she felt horrible for herself once again.

"She isn't a monster!" Louise shouted, though it was a bit muffled as Mipha was hugging her. The princess' eyes widened, as the pinkette pulled herself from the princess and stepped to the side to face the count. "She's a wonderful person! She's kind, compassionate towards commoners and nobles alike. She never judged, she always did what was best for everyone, even though it would hurt her in the process. She's a selfless person, and for you to say such a thing to her, you have no right!" Her master defended her hotly. Mipha smiled at Louise at that, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

 _What did I do, to be blessed like this?_

She turned around with determined features in her face. She stared at the count, who looked absolutely terrified of her, and he didn't hide it through his arrogance anymore. It seemed like he had understood that he had been outclassed in magic, and there was _nothing_ he could pull out anymore. Though. that wasn't the only thing she saw. She saw her friends standing up to her, and that strangely included Guiche. Regardless, it filled her with a bit of hope.

"What do you mean a wonderful person? With that power, she could only be classified as a monster!" the count shouted as he'd scrambled back and waved his staff. That shot another ice spike at her. This time, it was Tabitha who had intercepted the bullet by mumbling a wind spell that sliced the ice apart. "Why are you even defending her? She should be eliminated, she is a danger to this country!"

"She is not," another adult voice called out. She turned to her side, and noticed that the professor had stood up next to her, and had his staff prepared in his hands. "She's a person who had opened the eyes of the nobles in the academy about our true nature. If anything, you are the danger of this country, Mott," he growled out.

"T-traitors! Traitors to the crown, I will have all of you reported!"

"Try us, Count Mott. In before the eyes of every noble here, even a Royal Messenger like you wouldn't stand a chance in court by attacking a _foreign princess_ out of turn," the man continued. As if to prove his point, he had raised his staff to defend her, and Mipha noted that everyone else did as well.

 _So this is what you meant, father._

A smile entered her lips, as she'd stared at the count. "Everyone, stand down," she said. By her words, they all withdrew their respective wands and staffs, albeit reluctantly. She walked towards the count, with all grace of a ruler once again. The count looked terrified, as he mumbled and shot more ice spikes at her. The princess merely made them disappear, but made sure to wave her trident in the process. She heard gasps from behind her the moment it happened.

Mipha could understand why. In history, only Brimir was said to have been able to dispel a spell, and no one else managed to do so. However, due to Mipha's more intimate knowledge with magic, she was able to replicate such a feat.

"Im-impossible, to manipulate another's magic, just who are you?!" the count shouted. The princess didn't answer his question, and, instead, had pointed her trident at him. The count shrieked as he'd scrambled backwards, but had kept into position, when he looked up to stare at her eyes. Now that the count knew of her prowess, she might as well drop the bomb.

"Lead us to your underground area. There, we will discover if these were truly baseless rumours or not," she said. The count paled.

"W-what underground area, I don't have such-"

"Do not lie to me, _Mott_. I know what you're hiding underneath, and I know what exactly you're doing there."

The count could only nod now, as he'd slowly stood up and led them underneath.

* * *

 **Siesta**

The maid didn't know how long she had passed out. The moment she had opened her eyes, the familiar blur of red hair entered her vision. Her vision had still been very blurry, and she still felt every inch of her body writhe in pain. Any movement she made, it ached, and her eyes had been severely unfocused. She could vaguely hear the voice of someone calling for her name, but she couldn't quite tell whose it was. Her senses had been horribly turned numb from what she had gone through, and just the thought of what she had gone through made her wish to cry, and shout.

Though, there was another thought that was in her mind at that moment. She was still _alive_. Tears spilled in the edges of her eyes, as she felt tremendous joy that she was alive. She had made it through, and it seemed like someone came to save her. Her chastity was still protected, even though she had been gravely violated, but those didn't matter. She was _safe_ , and that's what mattered most. She felt something warm spread through her body, and the pain being washed away and replaced with something warming and comforting. For the next few minutes, she relished the moment as her vision had slowly come back to her.

The familiar yellow eyes had appeared before her, as well as tear streaked cheeks. Before her was Mipha, and she had truly come to save her.

"Mi…pha," she managed to croak out in between her sobs, as she'd cried and wailed into the familiar's chest. She felt the princess embrace her back, and she felt _safe_. Her nightmare was over, she was _safe_.

"What is the meaning of this, Count Mott?!" a voice shouted from the background. That voice was familiar to her. It was a male's that was for sure. She turned to the side to peek from the redhead's… well, _growing_ chest, and her eyes widened when saw Professor Colbert in the area. Actually, it wasn't just him. She could see the bluenette, Tabitha, and the Germanian, Kirche, working together to break the chains off the women, and helping them altogether. There was also the spoiled blonde with the ringlets who looked sick, but was currently using her magic to heal up people in batches. She idly noted the two adults fighting each other, and looked like they were on the verge of fighting.

"Louise, can you accompany Siesta? While I would love to stay, Montmorency is in dire need for help. I doubt the poor girl could handle this anymore…"

"Okay."

By this point, the hope inside her heart had soared even higher. Even Louise, the pinkette _spitfire_ had come to save her. She happily pulled herself from Mipha, before she pulled the pinkette into a tight embrace.

"Wha-wait!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the maid said as she'd sobbed on the pinkette's non-existent chest next. She heard no reply, but the pat on her head said it all. She stayed that way for a while, before she looked around. To her surprise, the… dungeon was surprisingly clean. There was no sign of any excretions she had seen from earlier, and everyone else seemed to be safe as well. There were also many people crying when they recognized that they had been saved, and it was a sight that touched Siesta and made her want to cry again as well.

"D-don't you dare cry, you'll make me cry too," the voice mumbled before her. She turned to Louise, who looked like she was on the verge of crying as well as she'd visibly slowly taken in the state of the people before her. "Do the nobles seriously treat you commoners like this? To be treated like… like animals?" she asked. Siesta slowly nodded her answer, which only made the pinkette's eyes widen in horror.

"… Now I see why the princess is outraged by my behaviour before," was another boy's voice that called out beside her. Siesta flinched and turned to her shock. There was that flamboyant skirtchaser, who had a conflicted expression on his face. "To think that my actions could lead to something like this… I'm glad that the princess made me see better. Are you alright, Siesta?" Guiche asked her, which only shocked her further. From possibly the way she was staring at the boy, the boy frowned. "What? Is it seriously weird that I have come to aid the beautiful rose to save the rose I have done wrong before?"

"Yes," Siesta answered without really thinking much about it. The blond looked resigned, but waved her off.

"Still, I do suppose I still owe you an apology. I'm sorry, Siesta. I should've apologized to you sooner," the blond said. Now, this surprised the maid. Nobles barely apologize for their mistakes, and would often make reasons. For the blond to apologize, it was something she had expected. Tears had spilled once again from her eyes, as she'd pulled the boy into an embrace this time.

"I forgive you, I forgive you," Siesta cried out as she'd smothered the boy into her chest. The boy muffled for a second, but gave in. It took a while for her to realize what she just did as she yelped and pulled away from the embrace. The boy had some blood flowing down his nose, and he seemed to be in a trance.

"Gu-Guiche, that's bad taste!" Louise shouted from behind her. That snapped the noble out of his trance, as he'd quickly wiped the blood from his nose, and bowed deeply to Siesta.

"A-ah, truly, I apologize!" The maid couldn't help it, as she'd laughed at the antics before her.

"I'm glad you're doing well, Siesta," said Mipha from behind her. She turned around to see the princess visibly horrified, and exhausted. It was as if she was going to drop at any moment. When she wondered why, all she needed to do was look behind her to know what she just did. Her eyes widened when she saw the other people in the dungeon all looked healthy again, with no signs of what they had gone through. They were all crying, and were thanking the princess nonstop as some had even looked on at her in reverence. The princess smiled at them, and promptly tilted her head to show her that she accepted their gratitude. While they still looked near bones that was mostly it. Their skin had a healthy colour was once again, and no longer any of them had injuries. The princess turned to Colbert to report. "I could only heal them to an extent, I could not heal their malnourishment. They would need to eat well for the next few days, so they could heal," she said gravely. The balding professor nodded, before he turned to the count with a furious expression.

"Under my authority as not only the teacher of a prestigious school, as a noble, but also my authority as once the leader of a troop in the palace, I have every right to report this discovery to the palace, and have you thrown into the dungeons, Count Mott. I trust that you have no qualms, as you will come with me to the palace right this instant."

"No, this is my right! I'm the royal messenger of the palace, I'm perfectly fucking capable to do whatever I please!" the count shouted in his maniacal glee as he'd waved his staff. He turned to the princess, and Siesta felt a strong sense of foreboding. Without really thinking why she was going to do it, she jumped into Mipha, who yelped in surprise at being suddenly tackled by the maid. Thankfully, she trusted her instincts as on the princess' place, there was an ice spike that had shot through the princess' former position.

"Are you alright?" the maid asked worriedly.

"Ah, yes, I'm alright, thank you, Siesta," the princess answered back. The maid nodded, and helped the princess to her feet, which Mipha gladly accepted.

"You! You dare attack the princess after what you've obviously done? Do you have no shame?" Colbert shouted out. The count didn't answer, but instead, turned to flee. When the professor saw that, he was about to chase after him, but another foreboding sense washed through her. This time, she turned to the pinkette who had a furious expression, and her wand out. Her eyes widened with what she was about to do.

"Fireball!" the pinkette shouted. The expression was so sudden that everyone in the room had turned to her, and they were all surprised with what just happened. A blue light formed on the edge of the pinkette's wand, as if it was gathering energy, before it shot forwards in a speed that took the same time for them to blink. Those who were watching the pinkette couldn't quite understand what just happened, except for the maid and Mipha, who had already turned their attention to where the shot was fired. The space before the count had exploded, and various shrapnel had pierced his skin that made the count cry out in pain and fall down the stairs.

Siesta was shocked when she saw that, but was also very happy when she did. "You did it, Louise, you managed to control your fireball!" Siesta celebrated. It seemed like even Louise was shocked as she'd stared at her wand, before she broke out into a cheerful cry as well. When the spell finally clicked into the other mages in the room, it was Kirche who reacted first.

"Fi-Fireball, that was a Fireball?! What was that, Vallière, that wasn't a fireball at all!" Kirche shouted as she'd marched towards her. The other people in the dungeon also cheered, not for Louise, but for the downfall of the count who had several small shards of stone pierced through his flesh, and skin. It was a horrible sight, but Siesta was delighted to see it.

 _Serves him right._

She also idly noted how the area on the count's lower regions had suddenly spread out in blood again. She let out a massive grin when she realized that had disrupted the count's magic and stopped him from healing his member back into place.

"Well, he's still breathing, and this works… I guess," the professor said, as he awkward scratched the back of his head. "Tabitha, can you help me here? While we're on the palace, we'll call on the other guards and have them retrieve the… others," the professor said as he still looked grim from the situation of the others in the room. The bluenette nodded as she'd waved her staff and mumbled a spell. The winds slowly picked the count up, and Siesta felt another wave of massive delight when she saw a familiar looking organ of the count fall off from his robes. It was the same member that Tabitha had unknowingly stepped and crushed as she walked with Colbert up the stairs. Unfortunately, Colbert had seen it, and he visibly winced from it.

"Was… Was that the count's dick?!" Guiche asked in pure shock. It was Siesta who answered.

"Yup! I bit it off," she said and felt immensely proud of her achievement. Guiche turned to her, and directed his shock at her instead. He paled, and slowly walked away from her as he'd covered his regions, that made those in the room laugh despite the situation.

"Alright, let's bring the others to a safe place. Guiche, do you mind stepping outside for a while? They might still be wary of men," Mipha asked him. The blond nodded, as he'd went for the staircases.

"I'll call for the other maids as well, maybe they could help!" Guiche called out.

"That would be great, thanks!" Kirche shouted. Poor Montmorency still looked like she was sick. Mipha saw that, and felt sorry for her.

"Montmorency, you should follow Guiche," Mipha said as she'd turned to the blonde worriedly. The blonde shook her head, as she'd stared at the others.

"While this is… more than I can handle, they are still my patients. I simply can't leave their side," she said. The others smiled at her, and thanked her profusely, which the blonde tried to wave off but failed due to her embarrassment.

"Hey, you," a girl's voice called out to the maid. The maid turned to the owner of the voice. It was the blonde she had interacted with earlier. The blonde was staring at her intensely, before a tired smile found its way to her lips.

"Thank you for trying to instill hope in me- in us. We didn't believe you for a reason, but… Now we see it. Thank you," the blonde said. Siesta smiled sadly at her, and walked over to the blonde. She spread her arms for the blonde, who looked shocked at her before tears also went down her eyes. Without a word, the two commoners embraced each other in a tearful embrace, and the tears only flowed stronger for the maid as she felt the blonde lifeless in her arms.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! How was the story? Was it good? Was it heartwarming? Was it faithful for its build-up? Let us know!**

 **Thank you so much for reading, you guys rock 3**


	11. Familiar Arc Epilogue - Unbridled Power

**Aria here~**

 **And I'm back for another chapter! Well, we, actually, but I'll get to that~**

 **EDIT: XINFO, OMG, I'M SO SORRY AAAAA, I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING IMPORTANT I'M SORRY TT-TT.**

 **EDIT2: For the new reviews, we'll reply to them on the next chapter when Crowe's in the condition he could reply~**

 **Sadly, Crowe's sick right now, so I'm the only who's able to post this chapter. He'll get well soon, don't worry! Sorry this took a while to get out as well, I was busy packing up stuff to move out of the house, so I never really got the time to check Crowe's messages if he was finished with the chapter or not, I'm sorry. He didn't want to post it until he's got my approval, so sorry about that~ I'm posting this now on his behalf sine he didn't want to keep any of you waiting. Hopefully this chapter would be worth the wait!~ Aria**

* * *

 _ **TRIGGER WARNING**_

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 **Alrighty, let's get to it! Firstly, thank you so so much for everyone who had chosen to follow the story, and reading this from time to time again~ For the new followers, welcome, and we hope you enjoy the story!**

 **Now, for the reviews. Don't worry, Crowe's already made notes for you guys~**

 **a crashclown, hello and thank you for your feedback! That is very true, Guiche is just a bit dumb, but he's not bloodthirsty. However, I wanted to make him more naive, like he thinks that killing is normal as a noble, but he's never really killed before~ He plays it off by being grandeur and all that fun stuff. I would've loved to explain this further in the story in that chapter, but~ We'll only be using five characters for the POVs of the entire fiction. We'll touch upon that topic on a later arc, actually probably but the next arc, but oh well~ We'll just find out!**

 **Thank you for finding the chapter interesting! We're trying to portray the ignorance of the nobles in that chapter over how they abused their power to a point. We're displaying that right now as well through Louise, who would soon be feeling the guilt of her own actions especially the arc after this. - Crowe**

 **Xinfo, thank you for the feedback~ it's a shame that the author had stopped writing Arachne hahaha~ Don't worry! I think Crowe has his execution planned out in a later date. I think~(I'm sorry again)**

 **Thanks for reading! Well, nobles can't exactly be executed so easily, especially since he's someone of a high ranking. His influence would probably ruin a thing or two. The nobles executed during the French Revolution don't count though.** **\- Crowe**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thank you thank you so much for the feedback~ I'm glad you liked the ending! We feared that the chapter felt rushed, especially during the argument and how things went down, but to be fair, Mipha and co were under really tight time constraints so we couldn't exactly drag it out any longer. It's just weird to imagine reading that monologue of text, and the character would actually be doing a monologue at that time. Actually, it's hilarious to picture that out~**

 **Yes, well, we wanted to stick with the guns for our iteration of this Count Mott hahaha~ And yes, yes, we will, thank you for liking the story!**

 **Thank you for reading and your lengthy feedbacks! Yes, just chalk it off to anime hair logic hahahah. After all, the female characters in Familiar of Zero have their ears covered by their hair, so it's fair game. We wanted Count Mott to be cliche'd as possible, since he's not that much of an important character. He's simply just a person who's new to position(obviously not treating Louise with enough respect despite Louise's mother being Karin the Heavy Wind in the source material). Well, to be fair, if you do face someone who's strength dwarfed yours by several million stuff, even you'd think your enemy's a monster xD.**

 **Omega Delta, thank you for the feedback~ Yes, it took quite a dark turn, but expect to see more of that later on in this story hahaha~ It's only going to get darker from there. And truly, we do wonder~ Guess you're about to find out in this chapter! Well, more of a teaser actually, but yeah~**

 **Thank you for reading! Truly, if there had been a genre called as Dark Fantasy here in fanfiction, we would've selected that instead of Fantasy hahahaha.**

 **ultima-owner, thank you for your feedback, and I'm glad you liked the plan! Personally, we had a hard time about how the plan should work, until we both remembered that Mipha had been practicing her magic for quite some time now(a month and a few more weeks in the fanfiction's timeline). We both feel it's inadequate, but it's great to see that the ending fit, and the plan was worked well! Hopefully, you get to enjoy this chapter next~**

 **Thank you for reading, and saying that the plan was worked well! Honestly, I believed the plan was ridiculous at first, and it had to go through a lot of iterations until we were somewhat satisfied with it. We might come back to this one day and revise the plan. Obviously, we'll make it so it won't affect the story going forward. Truly, the irony of him falling down the stairs also meant him falling down from his position, I'm glad you liked that part.**

 **verifiaman, thank you for your feedback, and I'm happy it was worth the wait! We do hope you continue reading~**

 **Thank you! By the way, how are the fanfictions we've recommended? I hope they're up to your tastes**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for your feedback! Yes it went downhill really fast, but I'm glad to see that the transition had gone smooth~ Yes, there are no better words to describe how the ending went down~**

 **Thank you for reading! I'm glad that the pace was and the transition between the slow start of the chapter and the sudden fast pacing by the end had gone well. I was worried about that, but it looks like I didn't have to hahaha. Hope you like this one next!**

 **And, that's a wrap for the reviews~ Oh, and those who are looking for a certain character, well, expect him~**

 **Now, without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Siesta**

The maid found the white envelope in her room the morning after her day out with the pinkette and the red head. The envelope had contained a letter of being requested to become a servant under the name of Count Mott, and when the maid read that, it was then when she realized that she hadn't deserved such happiness that she realized. Despite that though, she never would've thought that letter would led to her current events.

A few tears blurred her eyes as Siesta glanced out of the window of the carriage she was in. She saw movement on the side of her eyes, and saw the pinkette with her eyes turned to the side, but a hand outstretched with a handkerchief on top of it. A small smile entered the maid's lips as she'd uttered a soft 'thank-you' to the young mage, and accepted the offered cloth gracefully.

"D-don't get me wrong, even I would be in such a state a-after that," the pinkette said, as she'd trailed off and a haunted look found its way to her eyes. The maid was able to relate to the pinkette as the same haunting had invaded her mind, but she valiantly fought off the memories that threatened to take hold of her. The memories of the damp dungeon underneath the manor had been horrible after all. The other person in the carriage had the same look as well, but seemed to take it better compared to the other two. A dry thought entered the maid's mind, as she'd stared at the direction of the only royalty in the carriage. _Of course, she would be able to take this well_.

The only thing that seemed to signify that Mipha was disturbed as well was her grip on her trident. It had worried the maid greatly when she could see the blood drew away from the princess' fingers, but her calls hadn't snapped the red head out of her daze. The maid didn't know what was going on inside her friend's head, but she certainly didn't want to know either. When she had recovered enough, her friend had this _cold_ _expression_ on her face that didn't seem to fit in character with the normally shy and adorably awkward princess that the maid had come to know. It was as if the princess had become a completely different character then, and it strangely _fit_ her. The way she ordered them around while they were under the Count's manor, and the regal tone she had adapted to when she spoke with the guards, it had taken every part of her will not to bend down and swear her loyalty to the red head right then and there.

Not even the current princess of Tristain had elicited strong fealty from her, yet this red head princess easily managed to do so.

However, despite the current coldness of the princess, the maid also noted that she looked tired. The maid would have to admit, the princess had hidden her fatigue well. It had only been the countless years of the maid staring at herself at the mirror that Siesta was able to tell that the princess had been tired.

"I… apologize for letting this happen to you, Siesta. We should've been more attentive to the rumours, and had a proper investigation set out," the other occupant of the carriage called out to her. It had been a male whose voice had certainly fit his age. He was a balding professor, but his melancholic features had oddly matched up with it. In fact, it made him look handsome despite how ridiculous it was. Siesta had barely interacted with him, and the only times she had was either lunch service, or if she happened to pass down the hall. Siesta opened her mouth to answer, but she had been beaten by a certain princess.

"It's not your fault, professor. With his position, issuing a search warrant of his manor would've been difficult," the princess' voice cut clear. In fact, it had been too clear that everyone other than the speaker flinched as one. A worried frown found its way to Siesta as she'd stared at the red head princess.

"W-well, at least it's dealt with now, right?" Siesta said as she'd tried to uplift the mood of the room. Not too long ago, Colbert and Tabitha had successfully turned in Count Mott in the dungeons for violating the law, and it had been Princess Henrietta herself who had passed down judgement. While the maid hadn't been there when it happened, she heard from the guards who had arrived to _cleanse_ the manor that it was a swift decision from the princess. The one who had told her was a brown haired female guard with a sharp gaze. The maid was happy when she heard that, but she also felt a bit saddened with what she heard next.

" _The Royal Court wasn't happy with her, and the palace is torn apart with her actions. Some nobles say that she's done the right decision, while the others say that it was foolish to simply throw a high ranking noble into the dungeons without even a proper investigation._

 _Well, I couldn't care less about them either way, I'd have the count thrown into the dungeon myself if given the opportunity."_

Apparently, the princess was now under fire with what she had done. It had truly saddened Siesta to know that a mere matter of who was being arrested had greatly changed the outcome of anything. She knew that if the one who were to be arrested were a commoner, they would've been thrown, maybe even executed, on the spot. Since the culprit had been a noble, things were complicated. Of course, fellow nobles would come to support together, but it still had been a disgusting action for her. It was as the princess had said, everyone, despite their rankings, were the same regardless.

Though, she supposed she should exclude _Mott_ from that list.

"Yeah, dealt with, but all for the cost of the princess' reputation! Seriously, what is it with them? The princess had obviously done the right thing, why are they criticizing her for it?" the loud voice in the room had shouted. Siesta turned her attention this time to the pinkette to study her closer. Siesta hadn't actually realized it, but Louise was so obviously angry. She might've not picked up on the signs earlier on, but now that she thought of it, how had she missed it? The pinkette was grabbing her wand with so much pressure, that it looked like it was going to break at any second. The question though was why was the pinkette this angry for the princess?

While Siesta could chalk it off to mere faith and loyalty to the crown, the maid felt that it ran deeper than that. It was as if Louise felt _offended_ for the sake of the princess, unlike the other people in the room. The one with the sharp gaze hadn't even shown that much hostility. _Maybe something happened to her before that made her admire the princess?_ Siesta thought, though she shut the thought down. From what little she heard from Louise's past, she had been a _housed_ noble. Any events that could lead to her meeting up with the princess should be zero.

"It's the factions, Vallière. There are a few of the nobles who don't support the princess, and they're using this chance to strike at her," the professor answered her question. The pinkette turned to glare at the professor, and in spitefire fashion, she immediately opened her mouth to retort him: "But, isn't that ridiculous?! Count Mott was obviously breaking the law, and yet the nobles would rather support him than the princess? That's obviously mutiny against the crown!" The professor's eyebrows scrunched up in distress, and the tension in the room only seemed to grow. When the maid felt the tension, she immediately turned to the only person who could easily disperse this: Mipha.

It seemed like the princess had been listening in to the conversation herself, and she looked even more distressed. She put a hand on the pinkette's shoulder, though it had been an awkward move since Mipha sat across Louise. The pinkette immediately turned to the red head, and her angry gaze seemed to soften, and slowly turned to shame. "I-I'm sorry, but you have to understand, it's unfair!" she protested weakly at Mipha, but immediately shut her mouth when she saw how incredibly distressed the princess was.

Honestly, the maid didn't know why the princess was distressed like this either.

"It's factions, Louise. Am I right, professor?" the princess asked, her cold voice now back to its normal serenity, but it still had a layer of coldness on top of it. A very thin layer, of course, but it was still there to be heard. That eased the maid's worries, but it hadn't been enough to make them go away. The maid idly noted the professor nod his head to her answer, but the maid only felt more confused by that. Now, Siesta was by no means an idiot, or an air head, but she wasn't smart either. While she had read books that had some semblance of "factions" in it, most of them had been overshadowed by the main theme of the book, which was the romance. Being the hopeless romantic Siesta is, her mind had obviously pinned on the romantic side of the books, rather than the intellectual side.

In other words, Siesta didn't know what "factions" are!

Siesta gave the princess a confused look, one that she had unconsciously mimicked with the pinkette. Unlike Louise though, who just stared at Mipha in confusion, Siesta voiced out her confusion: "Mipha, what are factions?" she asked. The princess turned to look at the both of them, before she sighed tiredly, and spoke to explain. While the action had been rude and Siesta should have felt offended from it, the maid fully understood that her question hadn't been an easy one, so she hadn't felt any of those at all. Rather, she felt a bit of admiration for the princess, who had obviously chosen to answer her question instead of ignoring it.

Truly, Mipha was a kind princess.

"Despite a kingdom having one whole government system, the people who are in it are still divided. Those people who are divided will consciously seek out those who share their principles, and such. The result is a faction- a group of people who follow a certain set of principles, and uphold it with actions," the princess aptly explained, and fortunately the maid managed to get the gist of it. While she still had questions in her mind why a government would still be divided despite being a _unified_ group, she didn't voice them out. However, it seemed like such the case wasn't the same for the pinkette.

"But, that doesn't make sense! A government is supposed to be a unified group of people who leads a country under the banner of unity. How could it still be a government if there are people divided in it, how does it even work?" Louise asked one question after another in her heated rant. Siesta felt conflicted, as she'd wanted to stop Louise from talking. She could do so physically, and she had worried that her questions might just make Mipha feel more distressed. However, one glance at the red head princess let her know that Mipha wasn't actually distressed. In fact, she looked better now and was _smiling_ , but still looked slightly fatigued. _Is… Is answering questions some sort of relaxation for her?_ Siesta thought to herself. It had been a weird idea, but she supposed she didn't mind it.

She had an odd flamboyant uncle who released stress by being the most unmanly creature of the entire universe after all. She had seen weirder thing than this.

"It's a rather complicated thing, Louise. While a government is unified to lead its people, there could still be friction in it. The officials are still people, so varying beliefs and principles are bound to happen, but they couldn't let their principles cause a rebellion, or something of the sort. Hence, they would create factions instead and let it known amongst the other government officials, but they wouldn't butt into each other's business. While it makes… ruling things a lot harder than it should be, it's the most peaceful solution out of all. Think of it as an odd branch of the government," the princess explained to the pinkette. While it had answered some of the questions for both of them, the maid still had to wonder: why hadn't war broken out yet? Once again, it was a question that the pinkette voiced out.

"Wait, if that's the case, then why didn't we have a war already?" Louise asked. The princess looked like she had no answer for that, but, thankfully, the professor had come to her rescue by answering her question instead.

"A civil war right now wouldn't be beneficial for us. We're just a small country, the other larger countries would try to take advantage of that," the professor answered. Thankfully, that satisfied the pinkette and the maid, as they both nodded in unison. However, Siesta didn't fail to notice Mipha who seemed worried by his answer.

"So many things, just because I've been rescued, huh…?" Siesta unconsciously let out her feelings. Though, before she could sulk in her carriage, she had been immediately interrupted by everyone else in the room.

"That's not true!" the voices resounded in the carriage. In fact, it had echoed so loudly that the carriage had to stop for a moment, and for the driver to check in what happened.

"A-ah, it's nothing, we reacted loudly, that's all!" It was Mipha who told the driver. The driver seemed reluctant to take the answer, but it was obvious that was the only answer they would give. He eventually nodded his head, and resumed to driving the carriage. Everyone seemed to let out a sigh after that, and Siesta immediately apologized profusely.

"Seriously, stop that. Don't ever, ever say anything like that. We came her to save you out of our own will, we knew fully well what we were going into!" Louise scolded her. A smile found its way to Siesta's lips as she'd, for the first time in her life, accepted the scolding from the pink haired spitfire without playing deaf.

Truly, she was gifted with great friends.

* * *

 **Louise**

The master and familiar made their way through the halls with heavy steps. Neither party had spoken a word to each other, as both seemed to be too tired to speak. However, a glance to the red head had convinced Louise enough that Mipha was actually holding in something, and it was already threatening to burst out. Thankfully, Zerbst wasn't around as Tabitha had already dragged the insufferable Germanian away from Louise before anything happened.

"Hey, Mipha, do you want to get there faster?" the pinkette asked. The red head turned to her, and she looked grateful for the suggestion. This only made the pinkette worry even more as she'd hurried her pace to match along with the princess, who seemed to move frantically now. The two had stepped up their pace into a light jog, which eventually became a full-blown sprint when Mipha's suitors had suddenly popped up from nowhere, and started chasing after them. It hadn't helped Louise's mood, so she may have sent a few students into the infirmary that day. Though, at that moment, the pinkette didn't care. Despite the chase, Mipha's expression hadn't changed, and she only seemed to look like she was struggling even harder to keep her expression in check.

The moment they reached their room that was when everything broke loose. Once Louise closed the door, and heard the spell that made the room soundproof _click_ in, Mipha immediately wailed. The princess had immediately collapsed on the floor on both of her knees and both hands on her face; her trident had slipped out of her grasp and clattered against the floor, creating a dull clang that resounded in the room. The princess didn't stop her crying, as she only continued to wail even harder as more time passed by. When Louise saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of déjà vu.

The princess before her felt exactly like her on the night she had reconciled with Mipha. She had seen the princess cry then, how she wept for her, but she had never seen the princess cry as painfully as this. The _raw_ emotion of _pain_ in the princess' voice pulled her heartstrings, and she even felt that some of them snapped from the sheer pain the red head was expressing. It took a while for the pinkette to react, but mostly because she didn't know what to do in this situation. Usually, it had been her who was crying her heart out, and it was never the other way around. She could remember how Cattleya and Mipha comforted her, but she doubted that she could do the same for her.

Still, she knew she couldn't just stand there, and let the princess cry on her own. It was simply too _cruel_ for her to do so. So, she quickly thought of what to do. Her frame was smaller than Mipha, so she couldn't engulf the red head in a hug. She needed something to emulate that warmth. As her eyes hastily swept across her room, an idea found its way to her head. If the situation weren't dire, she would've felt proud of herself. She hastily picked up the trident on the floor, and lightly tossed it on her bed so it wouldn't get in the way. Though, picking it up had been a generous description. She had struggled with the trident, and took about half a minute to actually lift it up, before she tossed it in the bed. During that time, the princess' wails had only grown louder, so she hurried herself with the remaining process. She rushed towards Mipha's bed next, and took the blankets off the bed, and wrapped them around the princess' shoulders.

Thankfully, the princess' wails had lessened and turned into sobs as she'd hugged Mipha from behind while she kept the blanket wrapped around the princess. Still, she chided herself for taking too long in doing something like this. She had been very slow in her reaction, in comparison to the princess who had immediately engulfed her the moment she had entered the room. She also felt awkward, as she didn't know if what she was doing was correct. _She hadn't stopped crying, maybe I'm doing something wrong…?_ Was what the pinkette thought. She wanted to know what was wrong so she could help further-

It was times like this when Louise wanted to smack herself for her own stupidity.

"W-what's wrong, Mipha?" Louise finally asked, as she'd comfortingly stroked the princess' surprisingly soft hair. She had never touched Mipha's hair before, so when it started to glide smoothly in between her fingers, Louise realized she actually couldn't stop. She was in an odd daze, as she'd continued to comb the princess' hair. It only had been the princess' reply that caused her to snap out of her daze.

"H-how can humans be so cruel?" the princess cried out in between her sobs. Unfortunately, Louise had no real answer to that either. She knew humans could be cruel to an extent, but the kind of "cruelty" she had gone through all had a reason. Her mother and elder sister were being cruel to her, so she would grow into a fine girl. For the bullying she went through, she couldn't necessarily say it was cruel. The jeers and insults thrown to her were only reality. With the princess' question left unanswered, the red head continued to cry as the pinkette couldn't do anything but hold her tight.

Honestly, this should've been something that the pinkette foresaw. It was no surprise that Mipha had been under pressure while she spoke with the count, and her little power showcase had rattled them. This, in turn, rattled the princess, and had made her lose her composure during the confrontation. Despite the princess' composure was easily returned, the pinkette had seen that it almost crumbled once again the moment they'd stepped into the dungeon under the manor. After facing so many horrible things in one night, Louise had to admire Mipha for managing her composure. The pinkette knew that if it had been her in Mipha's place, she wouldn't have been able to endure. She wouldn't admit that to others, that was for certain, but it was still something that she admitted inside her.

With a rather grim expression, the pinkette sat in her room alone. The princess had fallen asleep in the middle of her crying, and Louise had ended up contemplating all the various thoughts for herself- mainly the obvious abuse of power by the count, and how apparently true Mipha's rant was about. The pinkette had never truly paid the red head's speech the attention it deserved, because the pinkette truly believed that she had already known what Mipha was preaching. While, granted she had been quite unlikable in the past, she truly believed that she had never once treated a commoner so ill in her entire life. In fact, she had even treated one so favourably recently in the manner of treating Siesta out and even giving her a huge sum of coins that a normal commoner shouldn't be able to receive.

Though, after seeing the dungeon that lied underneath the manor and the state of the commoners had shaken her out of her mind.

 _Have I truly treated the commoners well?_ was what echoed in her mind. She could still recall the relief and grief that was present in the commoners' faces in that situation, and it left her with a very uneasy feeling. She recalled all of her encounters with the commoners, and she believed that she had treated them all properly just like a proper noble to a commoner. Then again, there had been instances where she had lashed out on some out of a fit of rage from the harassing she had to go through for the entire day.

 _They don't count, right,_ was what echoed in her mind next. She was simply doing her role as the noble, and reprimanding the commoners to lead them to do the right thing the next. She had never truly outright hurt them physically, but she did lash out at them verbally. It didn't take the pinkette a second to then figure out what had been wrong in her line of thinking. Her eyes widened slightly, before she adopted a saddened expression. Out of all people, she knew what it felt like to be on the receiving edge of a harsh verbal attack. Though, since she was a noble, she was able to shrug it off, and it never really got extreme. They were mere childish banter that was all what the pinkette believed them to be. That never really made the pain easier to deal with though.

It was then when the pinkette felt something heavy weigh down on her chest. It was unlike the sadness that usually coupled the tightening feeling, and the urge to cry, but it was more being burdened by something. It was a completely alien emotion that Louise had never felt in a long time ever since she had taken the Rule of Steel upon herself. In fact, it had been an emotion that Louise had felt only once in her life, and that had been when during her childhood. She made the crown princess cry over a broken toy back then. The pinkette truly didn't know what to call this emotion. It was something that made her want to make amends with the commoners she had lashed out to. It was something that made her want to lower her pride, but of course, such a case is impossible to ask of her. She was a noble first of all, but this seemingly empowering emotion made her burn in shame.

For the first time in a long time, Louise was feeling guilt for her actions.

A sudden noise from the side startled her a bit, as she'd jumped from her bed. She quickly pulled her wand out and aimed at the source. She quickly found a brown-haired male floating outside her window, and he seemed to be looking around for something. Though, in this case, Louise knew that he was looking for someone. Slight panic crept up in her as the boy had managed to spot the sleeping princess, and she panicked into casting a spell when the boy had opened his mouth.

"F-Fireball!" Louise casted as her signature blazing shot of "fire" blasted from the tip of her staff, and hit the boy square in the chest. The boy had yelped in pain as he'd been thrown backwards from the force of the shot, and she could hear the commotion underneath. It seemed like in her panic, she hadn't been able to control the strength of her spell, and the thought made her sigh. It seemed like she still had a long way to go for her casting. For the rest of the day, she had taken it to herself to stop any of the students from prying just what happened. She had placed the princess on her respective bed, and blasted away every one of Mipha's suitors, who had eventually come to learn about the princess' whereabouts. Times like this reminded the pinkette how she truly hated how quick the word could spread in the academy. What made it even worse was it had already been morning when they arrived, so there had been certainly quite the number of "visitors".

"Please, allow me to see the most beautifu-"

"Argh, seriously, just go away! Fireball," Louise shouted angrily as she'd nonchalantly blasted away another student who was flying by the room's window. She had lost count of how many of Mipha's suitors had she blasted away with her fireball already. Actually, Louise was surprised that the princess was even capable of sleeping through the noise. While granted her Fireball was more subdued compared to others, it still should be loud enough to wake anyone up. _She must be that tired_ , Louise thought wryly.

Though, now that she thought of it, she should really change the spell's name from fireball. It wasn't definitely one at all, especially with how she was able to incapacitate the count in less than a second. What would be a good name for it though? Louise didn't know. There was also the fact that her spell wouldn't work if it was under a different name. Words of power were incredibly essential to using spells. It was their identity. Even though her mother was able to use mundane spells without incantations, the effects had still greatly varied whether she chants it, or not.

"Then again, my spell isn't exactly a fireball. Maybe I'm casting it wrong?" Louise thought aloud. That could also be the case. While all the spells Louise had learned and casted had all been book-based, her recent studies with Mipha about science had greatly altered her failures into successes. Through this, she'd also begun to look at the elements on a completely different point of view, and to see the varying advantages and disadvantages for every element. This in turn, had probably altered how her spells had worked as well. She had already noted before that both her Levitation and Fireball had been entirely different, and acted very strangely in comparison to their base element. There had been no presence of wind in her Levitation, and a distinct lack of the properties of fire in her Fireball. The scholarly mind inside Louise's brain had kicked in, and this revelation to her made her eyes widen slightly in shock.

"What if our magic is empowered by how we image it…" she mumbled out loud. Her eyes widened further as she spoke her mind: "W-wait, that makes sense too. Ever since I've been learning from Mipha, I have gained a slightly more intimate knowledge of how the elements work, and through learning how they worked, I was capable of casting 'Fireball', and 'Levitation'. Th-this, this could change magic forever!" After her mini speech, the pinkette quickly went to her table, and brought out her notes. She had also brought out another notebook with untouched pages, and quickly wrote down her thoughts about what she just discovered. This could revolutionize magic, and make them achieve even perhaps to the level of Elves! However, in the middle of her frenzied work, she stopped.

 _Wait, won't this be considered as heresy?_

The magic theory she was about to propose produced results that was too eerily similar to Elves, and it was one that greatly challenged the current magical system devised by the Founder himself. In a sense, not only would she be labelled as a heretic, but also a traitor to the crown for possibly cooperating with an elf. There was also the fact that not even a single magical scholar would believe her being the creator of the theory, as she was merely a child in their eyes. Hence, her discovery would lead people around her to investigate just from who she had gained this knowledge, and that investigation would lead to one person- Mipha.

Louise paled at the thought. While she already knew that Mipha was a Hylian and not an _elf_ in the first week, it would be incredibly hard to convince the entire country. Even if she made Mipha tell a random fairy tale, or a story of her own, the nobles in the higher ranking would discount it as deceit for an elf trying to camouflage itself as a human. Not to mention, there was also the case of how Mipha used her magic. It was too _similar_ to how Elves used their Magic.

Honestly, Louise didn't know exactly _how_ Mipha was able to hide her ears. Even the ridiculous amount of hair that hid her ears shouldn't be enough; then again, her ears were near-human in size, and there were the dangling jewels on the side of her tiara that helped conceal the pointedness of her ears. There was also the case how people never really bothered to ask why someone would hide their ears. In fact, the pinkette's own ears were hidden by her pink mane.

 _Thank Founder for our ridiculously long hair_ was what Louise thought about the situation.

She set her quill down, and stretched her limbs. While she hadn't had any sleep yet, she was still feeling awake and restless from their trip to the count. The memory of the dungeon underneath had still disturbed her, but she had learned to shove that to the side for now. While she was certain that it would still haunt her in her dreams, she still needed to keep herself occupied. It was what her mother had once taught her to do after all. Maybe she should study another spell. That would help her get her mind out of the gutter for a bit. She closed her notes, and decided to learn a very meagre spell for now. It wouldn't do well if she woke up Mipha by accident after all.

So far, she had only learned Levitation and Fireball, which were both wind and fire elements in perspective. The last two elements she hadn't tried yet were too destructive, even in the spell books provided to her. While she could try using a healing spell with water, there hadn't been exactly any injuries that she nor the princess had sustained. Earth magic was also out of the question, since she was in her room. It would be terrible to destroy her room by accident, despite the _incredible_ amount of enhancements her room currently had due to her past failures.

 _Maybe I'll stick with Wind Magic for now._

She supposed that should be the case. She brought out her spell book, and flicked through its pages until it reached the Wind Section. It made sense if she had a natural affinity for Wind, her mother was Karin the Heavy _Wind_ after all. There was also the case that out of all spells, Wind Spells had the second least amount of destructive spells. It was still a lot though. As she'd skimmed through the books, she had thought back to her situation before. Tabitha had casted this Wind Shield spell that stopped the ice spike from hitting Mipha. It had been a useful spell, and it would be wonderful if Louise learned it. She had picked up her wand, and started practicing.

* * *

 **Mipha**

The princess felt restless, despite her slumber. She had tossed and turned in her spot, as she'd groaned out a plea for help- _images of women flashed in her mind- several women in despair reached out to her._ She tossed to another side, her breathing had elevated and she could feel the cold sweat roll down her forehead. _Their eyes were white and empty, lifeless and dull, yet still filled with enough emotions to feel. Their pale bodies deprived from nourishment were covered in rags, blood, and several other liquids-_ Mipha shook in place, as she'd felt her hand clutch the fabric of her clothing above her chest. _Patches of black had begun appearing on their skin, and tendrils of water had wrapped them until they were covered. Then, there were the eyes. Those horribly dark eyes that threatened to take her will, those horribly dark eyes that seemed to glow despite the darkness-_ It was then the restless princess had sat up, covered in cold sweat.

Tears spilled down the edges of her eyes as she held herself together. Her legs were pressed against her, and her arms were wrapped around them as she'd leaned against her knees. She knew that it was going to be alright. The horrible monster had already been stripped of his authority, thrown into prison, and would no longer hurt the women she had seen. He was no longer a threat to Siesta, no longer a threat to her. _I-it's going to be fine, Mipha. It's going to be fine._ She stayed in her spot like that for a while, and didn't mutter a single noise. Once she was able to take hold of her mental faculties, the softness of the floor beneath her had finally clicked in to the princess. She blearily looked around, and took note that she had already been placed on her bed by the pinkette, who was currently fast asleep. The room was also dark, only illuminated through the window by the pale moonlight of the sibling moons.

Drawn by the comforting light, the princess found strength in her legs once again as she'd left her bed. She slowly walked to the window of her room, and she idly noted the burnt marks on the edges of the window's frame. A wry smile found its way to her lips despite her current distraught. It was a sign that Louise had protected her when she had fallen unconscious. She raised her eyes, and stared at the moons. In polar opposite of the sun, the moons had emitted a warm and comforting light that didn't strain the eyes. Night time had always been the princess' favourite time of the day, but of course only became second to the time she was able to spend with her fellow champions. She didn't know why, but the mood had always comforted her ever since she was a little child. Her father had once told her she was born under a moon, but Mipha truly wondered if that were the case.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she'd rested her arms against the window, and leaned forwards to bask in the moonlight further. She could see the landscape below where the soft blades of grass swayed along the breeze, and the light of torches illuminating and contrasting the natural blue light of the moons. Truly, this world was different from hers, yet the scenery had been so familiar it didn't feel any different. Indeed, the place felt more like an extension to her original world, but there were too many things different to be considered. She spotted the blue dragon and its equally blue haired summoner flying around, presumably for their nightly routine. She hadn't interacted with the dragon yet of course. There was simply no time between her training and daily routine to accommodate socializing with her fellow familiars. Fortunately, she had gotten used to seeing the dragon now and had stopped fearing it every time she saw it.

 _Hm, they're really close, aren't they?_

Now that Mipha noticed, it seemed like they were coming closer. And closer. It took a while for Mipha to realize that they were actually flying towards her, and once she did, she was startled as the dragon had already peeked its head through the window. She held back her yelp as she'd fallen unto the floor. The impact hadn't been cushioned very well, as she'd placed a hand on her lower back. She stared at the dragon, who was staring at her with adorable curiosity, and a slight hint of confusion. It seemed to look apologetic, but its features seemed to lean towards mischievous.

The princess blinked. Were dragons this expressive? It seemed to be capable of expressing emotions. In fact, it wouldn't be farfetched to say that the dragon was just a person in disguise. The dragon, as if it sensed her internal thoughts, warbled as if to say it was just a normal dragon. Mipha blinked again from the oddness of the situation she was in. It took a while, but the dragon had finally retracted its head from the window, though Mipha noted that it looked like it had done so reluctantly.

"Sorry. Surprised?" a soft monotone voice called out from behind the dragon. The dragon lowered its flight to reveal its rider, which was the bluenette whom Mipha had already been friends with. She was immersed in her book as usual, but she seemed to be keeping eye contact with Mipha. How Tabitha was capable to do so, Mipha wouldn't know. At the bluenette's inquiry, the ex-Zora answered "yes". The bluenette lowered her head for a while, before she kept her eye level at the princess. It was then when Mipha had realized her position, and she lightly mentally scolded herself for conversing in such an unrefined position. She slowly stood up, and fixed her skirt from any wrinkles and dust- though, she had fallen asleep so it was wrinkled no matter what she did. She sighed, and turned her attention to the bluenette again, who seemed to be watching at her with slight entertainment.

"So, uhm, is something wrong?" the princess quickly asked before she diverted her attention away to hide the blush. It was embarrassing to be seen like that. For a moment, she didn't hear any response except for the heavy flap of wings from the dragon. There was a moment of silence, and it had been uncomfortable for her. Since both of them were of little words, it meant that the silence could either be represented as "the conversation done", or "please look at my actions". Unfortunately, even though Mipha's the type who wouldn't speak as much as the others, determining what kind of silence it was had still been near impossible for her. Then again, she wasn't looking at Tabitha. She turned her attention back at the young bluenette once again, only to see that the bluenette had her hand situated behind her, and the dragon seemingly too close to the window.

Thankfully, Mipha quickly understood that it was a gesture for her to get on.

Even though Tabitha couldn't possibly see her actions, since she was once more immersed in the book she was reading, Mipha still nodded her head in gratitude before she walked towards the window. She easily managed to get on the dragon, who had enough space on its back to accommodate her. Mipha watched as the bluenette tapped the dragon, and it complied as it bat its wings once again. With that one action, the two were sent flying into the sky.

Fortunately, Mipha wasn't afraid of heights, and it hadn't been the first time she was in the air riding some sort of contraption that wasn't exactly safe. She could remember riding on a platform only held by string and Octo Balloons. Even though using the very obvious organ of an Octorok used to propel a platform had been disturbing, she remembered she hadn't reacted much then since she was a kid. The experience hadn't exactly been nice to her heart either, but the thrill of being able to temporarily "fly" had been an amazing experience to her. It was at seldom times like that when she envied their Rito relatives. Still, as Mipha soared through the sky behind Tabitha, she liked the soft breeze that passed her.

Wait, soft breeze?

"Tabitha, why isn't the breeze as strong as it should be?" asked Mipha. She could distinctly remember the strong currents of air at the sky during her experience, and none of them had been this particularly calm.

"Barrier. Comfortable?" the bluenette replied. By this, Mipha had looked around her more carefully, and this time, she noticed that some of the winds around them were being deflected away from them. "Won't this hinder your mount though?" She asked again. Surely with the wind being deflected like this, the dragon's wings would be hindered by some amount.

"Sylphid. No."

"Sylphid?" Mipha asked again, before she answered her own question by staring down. "Oh, the dragon. I see, so that's her name," she said as she'd placed her hand on the dragon's scales. It had felt surprisingly soft, yet firm and durable at the same time. "I see. The breeze feels really nice. Thanks, Tabitha," the princess thanked the bluenette next. The girl didn't reply, but a curt nod was directed her way as if to acknowledge her thanks. Normally, such a behaviour before a royalty wouldn't be tolerated. Thankfully, Mipha wasn't that kind of royalty though. They had basked in the silence of the night, before Tabitha asked her a question.

"Kingdom, stories?" the girl asked. It had been a question Mipha was expecting from either Tabitha or Kirche. She knew that she would end up telling the two of them her story, but she wasn't quite expecting it to be this early. She wasn't expecting Tabitha to ask her alone either. She glanced at Tabitha, and wondered why the diminutive girl asked her for stories about her kingdom, until she realized that Tabitha was subtly helping her. A soft smile entered the princess' lips, as she'd relaxed further.

"All right, but in turn, I want to hear the stories from your books. I have been mighty curious since the first day of what you've been reading."

This time, the bluenette had turned around to face her, and smiled.

* * *

 **?**

A boy, roughly aged 16, narrowly dodged a bladed edge that was headed to strike his neck. He rolled to the side next as another swipe had followed the initial attack, before he retaliated. He drew his sword and quickly swiped to deliver a clean cut on his assailant's neck, but the assailant had managed to jump away. The boy clicked his tongue in distaste, as he'd watched his assailant closely. The person was wearing iron armor, and held both a sword and shield on his able hands. A helmet obscured the boy's vision to the man's face, but he knew without a doubt that this man was a soldier. To be specific, it was one of Albion's.

With his spare hand, the boy pulled his hood down so it wouldn't suddenly flick off during the fight. He noticed that his opponent was watching him this time as well, but broke the stalemate between them the next second. The man rushed forwards with his shield, and aimed to bash the boy backwards. The boy, who had been paying attention to the man ever since the soldier first engaged him, easily dodged the bash, and parried the slash that followed right after. Metal hit against metal, and the horrendous scrapping noise as the boy had desperately tried to push the blade away hurt the boy's ears. He had long grown accustomed to the noise, but it hadn't meant that he could simply shrug it off. He jumped back to provide some distance between the two of them once again, but the soldier hadn't let up his attacks this time around. This time, the enemy soldier brought his shield up in a diagonal arc to attempt to hit the boy from the jaw. The boy barely reacted in time, and his eyes widened when he saw the soldier use the gathered momentum to swing around and slash at the boy's abdomen.

Fortunately, the boy managed to reposition his sword to awkwardly block the attack, but it hadn't been quite enough. An adult's strength overpowered one of adolescence and the sword had struck his side true. While the boy's sword had been enough to stop the man from eviscerating him, it had come with a cost. The boy's grip on his sword had weakened from the sheer force behind the man's blade, which caused him to throw it as he had spun in the air and landed on his side. He could feel warm liquid seep out his clothes as he clutched his wounded area with his spare hand. The force behind the man's swing had left his sword arm sore, and he clicked his tongue as the man slowly walked up to him. It was as if the soldier was gloating over his victory.

"Boy, you have caused quite the stir here. The castle has ordered for your head, you know," the man said as he'd approached the boy. The sheer arrogance in the tone irritated the boy, but he held his tongue back. There could be a mage listening in nearby, and that would be enough to drop his identity. Instead, he opted to rummage through his pockets with his free hand, and grasped a hilt that he had found on his back. The soldier laughed at his "futile attempt". "Any last words?" the soldier asked as he'd stood in front of the boy. The boy quickly looked around if there were any cracks in his armour, and he had fortunately found one just on his ankle. The boy looked up at the man in one last act of defiance. He grinned a bit, and threw all pre-caution out of the wind. The man was asking for it.

"Yeah. Eat shit," he said as he'd quickly pulled his dagger out, and stabbed the man through the ankle. The man howled in pain, but he definitely didn't stop in trying to plunge his sword on the boy's neck. Thankfully, the momentary pause had been what the boy needed as he'd rolled out of the way, and frantically got to his feet. The action caused him to groan in pain as the laceration on his side had ached when he tried to move. The soldier bent down and pulled the dagger out and threw it on the side. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to stand back up anymore as he had soon collapsed on his side. Not only was his balance disrupted from being stabbed in the ankle, he was now temporarily immobilized.

"Y-you damned kid!" the man shouted as he'd stabbed the sword on the ground to try and get up. The boy wasted no time in this, as he'd quickly dashed over to where he had accidentally thrown his sword. He quickly pulled the sword up, and felt safe once he felt the familiar leather around its handles. He turned around and quickly walked over to the soldier to finish the job. He shouldn't leave this soldier alive, as he'd silently slid his sword through the opening of the man's neck. The man thrashed at first, but couldn't quite shout as the boy had specifically aimed to damage the voice box, and cut the vein along for a swift death. Once the man had stopped moving, the feeling of unforgiving dread passed down on him. His open skin felt chilled against the cold winds of the night. The only thing that warmed him up currently was his own blood as it continued to spill out of his side. A dry laugh escaped his lips, as he'd reached into his pouch and brought out some herbs.

"… I just can never get used to this," the boy thought grimly, as he'd pressed the herbs against his wound. His wound seemed to _scream_ from its pain, and the boy could only hold back his screams. Though, now that he thought of it, maybe he should've just screamed regardless. He had already spoken, there was a good chance that a mage had heard him and recorded his voice or something. Hey, he didn't exactly know how magic worked, but he knew enough that his idea wasn't exactly farfetched from actually happening. Still, he hoped that the herbs would do its thing and give him enough time to reach their hideout. He idly wondered how he even got in this situation, but one name had immediately reminded him of just what happened. A frown entered his lips as he'd recalled the bastard who had adopted and trained him to become the ultimate warrior, or something along those lines.

Honestly, the boy didn't care back then about the conditions. He just wanted food, shelter, drinks, and money to support his family after being thrown out of a noble's house after defending one of the maids. When the opportunity came to him, he immediately grasped it. That was three years ago, and now, he regretted the decision. While he definitely received great money for it, enough that his family could actually live on their own for a decade or two, the price he had to pay wasn't quite worth it. He stumbled in his steps, as the cold air had started to chill him further. He pulled the cloak around his quivering frame, and the sword was back on its sheath once again. He hadn't quite cleaned the blood off its blade, but he could just do that later. His survival was important after all.

He continued to walk against the freezing cold of the streets until he turned on a specific alley. He continued to move then, and it didn't take him long to find a single door in the middle of several walls in the dark alleyway. He knocked on the door two times, and another after a few seconds of pausing. It had been a simple code to tell that it was one of them. The door quickly opened, and revealed a man with a scarred face, and greying beard. The man was about to welcome the boy back, but noticed the blood on his clothes. Immediately, the man donned a serious expression, and quickly gestured for the boy to enter. The boy did so, without really thinking much about it and immediately collapsed on the floor. He could idly hear the shouts of the man calling a healer over, but it didn't quite register in his brain. He had lost too much blood already, and his vision had blurred. He felt dizzy, and his senses were numb. He could only feel the coldness. All what his brain had registered was his sword was somehow glowing despite the light, and it had been placed far from him. He felt strong arms wrap around his stomach, which only intensified the pain on his side, but even the pain felt distant.

Then, he was nonchalantly thrown into a bed, and he dryly commented on how he was being handled like luggage. He didn't speak it out loud of course. If he did, he would only be beaten up by the man. As he laid in his bed, he heard someone come in, and immediately stripped him off his clothes. Despite his delirious state, he noted the blue hooded robe taken off of him, as well as the blue tunic, the white long sleeves he wore underneath, beige pants, and leather boots. He thought that it had been overkill that even his lower garments had been taken off, but he could see some blood on it. He felt something warm press up against his wound, and he could feel his wound _sting_. Still, it had been a little too late for him. He had already fallen unconscious. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately for him, he had woken up just a few minutes later. His eyes slowly opened, and he fought a groan when he saw the man sat beside him.

The hideout of him and his co-workers were in wasn't exactly well-lit. However, even despite the little lighting and the darkness that shrouded the place, the boy was able to tell just who the man was. After all, the long grey hair wasn't exactly the easiest thing to hide in a dark place. The man could wear dark clothes all he wanted, but it would never be able to conceal him. Then again, the darker secret works hadn't exactly been this man's job. He was set to be a spy at Tristain to see the internal affairs, and pick out the right time to strike. The boy heard of the relations between the current Crown Princess of Tristain, and the acting ruler of Albion, and how that was the key to make Albion fall in their hands. Honestly, the boy didn't understand why, but he understood that he was working for the wrong people. It had also been terrifying to deal with the leaders, especially the one known as Sheffield. She was a terrifying person; that much the boy could tell from both his instincts, and known information about her.

"How are you doing?" the man asked beside him. The boy contemplated if he should answer the man, or not. After all, he didn't need to answer the man, as his words would surely just be regarded with the normal ignorance that this man portrayed. He only truly cared about power and authority; he never once cared about anything else. Perhaps there was once a time when the man was a truly caring person, but the boy doubted that. The boy decided not to answer his question, and instead point at where he had been injured. The healer had done wonders, as it had completely closed up the wound and only left a light scar; though, from the abundance of scars over his entire upper body from his constant duels against the soldiers of Albion, it didn't stood out that much. The man raised an eyebrow in response, before he shrugged it off. "It's a good thing that you're awake. I'm here to wake you up, and bring you to the meeting underground."

The boy frowned at that, and nodded his head. The man stood up to take his leave, as well as the boy. The boy knew fully well that their leader wasn't the most patient of people, so he only wore his pants and boots. He carried his sword and its sheath along with one hand instead of wrapping its sash around his upper body. He followed the man in silence, as they descended down on the stairs. Honestly, the boy didn't know how these people had managed to make an entire underground lair without tripping up any of the authorities. It was a temporary hideout too, but even though it was a temporary hideout, it still had been _huge_. The footsteps echoed as they went down, but the echo soon diminished the moment the boy had set foot on the lowest floor.

Before him, a hundred or more people had rallied up and stood side by side. What seemed to be the nobles had sat on the front next to the blond old man, their leader, and the one known as Sheffield stood beside him. When the lady made contact with his eyes, the boy fought down his urge to flee. Truly, this lady was one to be feared. The lady nodded once, and motioned for the man to speak before she broke eye contact with the boy. The poor boy in question had dramatically sighed in relief after that, even going as far to place a hand over his beating heart. It truly wasn't his fault though; the woman had simply been that frightening compared to their leader, who was just an insane old man who craved for absolute power. He watched the old man nod his head, before he turned and gestured grandly before the gathered army.

"My followers, supporters, and friends of Reconquista, I am delighted to see that all of you have gathered here today without fail. Truly, today is the most gratuitous and fortunate day for us all. Our little bird had recently sent us the information that would lead us one step closer to achieving our goal; to prepare for war to unite the entirety of Halkegania and lay havoc on the Holy Lands!" The man had shouted. He must've had used magic to amplify his voice as it managed to reach even the furthest back where the boy was in. Followed the man's short speech, a short cry erupted from the gathered army, all cheered for the most fortunate success that they have received. "We will tear down these countries ungrateful and unfit government with our own barehands, and reap their efforts for our own. We will take down those weak, peace loving nobles from their position, and we will rip them apart with our own dogs. We will unite every country, and spill blood on every land. We will mark our name in history, as being the instigator of the most bloodiest, yet successful war of all wars!" More cheers erupted from the gathered audience, but the boy wasn't cheering. In fact, his expression had turned grimmer by the second, and he just wanted to run away from the place.

"But that is, but a little reason why I have called all of you here today, my followers. You see, I've been hearing rumours, rumours about why I have this great ambition, rumours of me liking war." By this point, the leader had stopped. "You're wrong, my dear dear followers. Very. Wrong. You see, my dear followers, I'm not doing this just because I _like_ war, ah, dear no. That would be the worst misinterpretation. No, no, no" the old man cut himself off here by laughing maniacally. The boy cringed at that, and rubbed his arm to chase away the goosebumps. Doing so caused some of his hair to obscure his view, a colour just as dark as the underground lair.

"My followers. You see, I do not like war. What I do like is authority. No- forget that. I do not _like_ authority, no… I _love_ it." A sense of unease passed down the boy's spine. "I _love_ commanding. I _love_ abusing. I _love_ _crushing_ those under me. I _love_ repression, brutality, corruption, and _dominance_. Blood stained across the grass fields, across the forests, splattered on the walls and streets all due to my commands, and the weeping and pleading of the commoners who were caught in the cross fire, I love every act of exercising my authority upon this bountiful land.

I love ordering people to do the things that they hate the most under the pretense that they will be executed if they were to fail their tasks.

My heart _leaps_ with _joy_ whenever a commoner would cry and scream for mercy as I forced him to sell off his own lands, and rip the heart out of his own wife with his bare hands. There is nothing like sending your own army to conquer the lands, and exercise your absolute authority over the nations that have fallen under your own hands. The _feeling_ of that comes when a child comes begging to spare their family as you separate and send them to their perspective jobs, is such a _pleasurable feeling_. It warms my heart to see a noble who had fought so hardly and desperately against me embrace the feeling of authority, and exercise it on his own.

I _love_ threatening nobles to do my bidding, lest they get their own titles ripped off of them.

I _love_ blackmailing others to do what I must require them to.

The sight of the heads on pikes of those I have executed that went against me is an _irresistible pleasure_. The little band of resistance and nobles of Albion who made their final stand, only to have fallen under the hands of one of the most accomplished knights of their allied country- I'm truly in ecstasy. I absolutely enjoy seeing the broken stares of the people once they discovered that they had been conquered, and the screams that followed after having all of them violated with just a single command.

I want to see the likes of Karin the Heavy Wind broken down after being terribly violated, and horribly beaten down after failing to protect the crown."

The hand that was gripping the sword's sheath had increased its strength, as blood had drained off the boy's fingers. The boy quickly reiterated his judgement about the man, this _monster_ before him. He was no different from the woman that stood beside him, who seemed to have an oddly disturbed yet fascinated smile on her face. He glanced on the man who had stood beside him, and there was a _manic_ grin on his lips. Shivers went down the boy's spine. It looked like his training was just going to be intensified after this.

"Truly, there is no other feeling than exercising one's authority. _My followers, my battalions… All I ask for is authority, no, power._ What I ask for is _power_ that will make even the _elves tremble_. All I ask for is _power_ that even Brimir would shy away from. Now, I ask all of you… What is it that you've wanted when you joined this rebellion, this Reconquista? Is it because of revenge? Or is it because of something deeper. Something… more primal. Do you wish for this authority as well, to have this kind of power over others? Do you not wish for a power, whose limit is not within humanity, but one who threatens to overthrow Brimir himself?!

Do you ask for power, to overthrow the countries, rule over these weak, pathetic humans, and show those in the Holy Lands what it means to _hold true power?!"_

" _ **Prendre le pouvoir!"**_

The chanting grew stronger and stronger, as the boy felt even more afraid. Even the nobles in the front, who were supposed to feel oppressed by this mad man before them, were chanting the same words. The boy didn't know if they were convinced, or just afraid to rebel against him. The man raised his staff to quiet them down. The boy flinched as everyone seemed to comply, and it was then that the boy realized that the man truly held authority.

"Very well, then you shall have the power you seek. Mages, inform those who are out and about on the other countries who are unable to attend today. Soldiers, prepare to double our efforts tomorrow to conquer Albion, and break down the prince into hiding. My comrades… Let's show them what _absolute power_ is."

"… This doesn't look good, pardn'er," an old ancient voice spoke from the sword's hilt. It was a voice that only one person could hear since he was the nearest to the voice that was currently being drowned by abrupt cheers of equally mad men around him. Saito de Wardes didn't have the strength to reply, and could only nod his head. Only one clear thought was formed in his currently fear-induced mind.

He needed to get the fuck out of Reconquista.

* * *

 **Now, Saito has finally appeared after 11 chapters in! How did you guys like his appearance? We have plans for him~ Let us know in the reviews!**

 **Plus points to those who know where the original speech came from.**


	12. Trumpets of War Prologue - Omen

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back to start off "Season 2" of Zero's Grace! We're so sorry it took us a while to post this chapter out, but there had been numerous events that kept us both busy to write back to this chapter. Actually, we have planned to release this chapter waaaaaaaaay back in August, in fact half of this chapter was already written then. It was simply unfortunate there was a sudden change in plans to how our College Schedule would work out. Of course, there had been other numerous personal problems and such, but most importantly: we also changed how this story will go through after trial and error, and we're finally happy to say that we now have a good direction of where this story will go! Now that's enough from us for a bit!**

 **Of course, this will be a short chapter, considering this will be a Prologue to the coming "Trumpets of War" Arc, or TWA for short. Anyways, we're back now, and expect some daily updates per month! Hopefully, this chapter would be worth the wait. After all, we're starting off with a bang.**

 **This story isn't M-Rated for nothing.**

* * *

 **_EXTREME_ _TRIGGER WARNING_**

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 **First off, we'd like to thank everyone who chose to follow and favourite this story during the time we were gone! Thank you so much for the support(we're also assuming that some of you have gone back to reread this fanfiction from chapter 1 to the latest~). Hopefully, we will still be able to hold up to your expectations! Now, for the reviews we've been craaaaving to answer!**

 **verifiaman, indeed it was hellsing! Thank you for reading and your continued support, we hope this chapter will be worth the wait.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thank you for reading, and for your gracious feedback! Wow, we truly do not deserve to be praised as much, but thank you! We're happy that you consider this fanfic as a proper light novel, we hope that it grows more than just the feel of a light novel though. Your question will finally be answered in this chapter, so better start reading! You'll see more of how the Butterfly Effect will affect this story. We based some of the decisions here on that after all~**

 **Aria: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I KNOW RIGHT, BUT CROWE DIDN'T WANT TO PUT THAT DETAIL IN. I personally find it too annoying and just end up tying my own hair back so it won't bother me whenever I doodle. He reasoned out something about how "every few sentence, or at least once a paragraph, we'll end up needing to write Mipha having to keep moving her anime hair to the side." Though, he does have a plan to tie that in, but frankly I'm displeased with how he's going to put that in. You'll find out soon what I mean!**

 **flo463, thank you for reading and choosing to give our story a chance despite the preference! Don't worry, Saito here will continue to have his traditional harem, but only in a more realistic and gritty sense compared to how he developed his harem in the anime. You'll only get to find out soon what will happen to him next! Unfortunately, it's not a reference to Kane, Command And Conquer. It's the speech from the Major, a character from Hellsing, which is who this fanfiction's Cromwell is based of!**

 **OmegaDelta, truly Halkegenia isn't prepared for the demon we've decided to unleash. Thank you for your feedback, we hope you continue reading and like this chapter despite its shortness!**

 **Xinfo, thank you for reading, and the feedback! Hopefully, we hope you like this chapter!**

 **Crowe: Yes, truly the best villain monologue in anime. It's crazy how _great_ it is no matter what dub in language it is! KRIEG! ****KRIEG!** **KRIEG!**

 **Aline1, thank you for reading, and the feedback! We truly hope to make the chaos gods proud, but Tristain and Halkegenia will need more than one hero to save them.**

 **ultima-owner, thank you for reading, and your continued support! We hope you like this new chapter, despite how long it took us to put it out.**

 **Crowe: I've thought that Cromwell was such a waste of a minor villain that we had decided to level him up a bit. It's actually not that far off from the original intents the Cromwell had from both the Light Novel and Anime. We just decided to give a little more... "flair" into it.**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for the feedback, your continued support, and reading! Yes, we believe the same way as well how Mott's arc had been greatly skipped. It's such a great time for Siesta's character development, but it was wasted so much from the many fanfics we've read. We wished to change that here, where everything is all about character development and how the choices they make will greatly affect the future! You'll find out soon what Saito is in this chapter.**

 **Aria: Ah, about the whole, er, complicated thing from separated worlds, yeah oops~ It'll happen, BUT not in the way that it ruins the tempo of the story. We've already found out how to mix both stories together without making the story too complicated and ludicrous to even happen in a real story, we really racked our brains for it, you know? We can only hope that we execute it as well as we planned it to!**

 **osterreicher97, thank you for reading and your feedback! Truly, Halkegenia is going to be demolished. We hope you like this chapter!**

 **Crowe: Well, if the last chapter was darker and realistic, then I wouldn't know how to call this one, hahaha.**

 **xhope14x, thank you for reading, and your support! We hope this is worth the wait for how we took the story next. We truly stepped it up here with the first POV, and hope it won't be too much.**

 **Nemoskull, thank you for reading, and your feedback! Surely, our fanfic isn't that good to be rare, but thank you regardless! We're still developing right now, and we hope to develop our skills further alongside this story! We hope you continue reading along with us.**

 **Guest#1, thank you for reading, we hope you're still reading this story and continue to support it!**

 **Crowe: You could say that Mott had all been _chewed_ out :'))  
**

 **Aria: Don't make jokes anymore.**

 **Crowe: I'm sorry, I'll properly reflect about that.**

 **Guest#2, thank you for reading, and, uh, managing to stomach what happened about the whole dick-memberment and the dungeon thing. We're glad that you think we did a wonderful job, hopefully that we'll be able to keep that standard! Though, we'll warn you since this chapter is definitely leagues more disturbing than the previous 2 chapters. Please, proceed with caution.**

 **Guest#3, thank you for reading, and hope you continue to support this story!**

 **Aria: Though, hopefully we're right in thinking that you're Guest#1, but, uhm, we wished to make sure so we made you Guest#3 instead!**

 **Crowe: We're glad you liked the phrase, but, uh, we just pretty much stuck some random words in google translate. We have no ability to speak French at all, so sorry about that. We'll properly reflect on the topic.**

 **NOW, without further adieu, enjoy the prologue of the new chapter you've all been waiting for!**

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 **Saito**

The cold winds brushed against the cold and dark streets of Albion. His hooded cloak fluttered against the wind, and a shiver went down his spine as his skin made contact with the breeze. His trusted weapon was hidden from sight and chose to stay silent. Derflinger choosing to remain silent was a rare occasion, and normally, it was one that the boy celebrated. Preferably with a swig of a cold drink, and some wonderful warm meal that would fill his stomach However, such an occasion wasn't then. A distant explosion shook the buildings, and Saito's trained ears picked up on them. He loathed the fact that he could immediately recognize what that entailed. That damned Viscount drilled all of the information in his head, and he knew his adopted "sibling" wanted him to make no room for error. The scars he had received from the lightning bolt that blasted Wardes had inflicted on him ensured that during his earlier months of training. The event of how he almost got his identity slipped out when the guard caught him the night before almost gained him a new scar. Fortunately, his "esteemed sibling" felt merciful as he was still in a daze from that cruel horrible man's speech.

Still, he no longer had any time to lose. He dashed down the cold streets, the wind only picking up around him as his steel boots pounded against the pavement. The noise of steel hitting stone echoed in the streets, but only drowned out by the shouts and screams of people ahead of him. He cursed, and drew out his sword. His muscles were tensed, and his already fragile will was gathering all courage to fight. Derflinger made a distinct clicking noise to show its disgust. "I know Derf, but we don't have any other choice now, do we?!" Saito shouted in frustration, and Derf remained silent once again. The sword fully knew well what the boy meant. Saito had only been born in a poor man's family. He was a mere commoner, and was taken up by chance by that blasted Viscount. It was simply his salary that kept his family alive. He could've reported this to the authorities and received an ample reward, but he knew for certain that would only mean the very organization he was in will start targeting him, and his family. Truly, he had no other choice than working as a child soldier for the Viscount. He continued to dash down the streets, his heart only racing from both fear and his running. After a sharp turn he made, his eyes beheld the chaos that erupted before him.

He had already seen this sight on countless times; though, it never stopped his body from reacting the way it should. He felt the bile reach up the top of his throat, and his stomach _heaved_ from disgust. He made a retching noise, as he tried his best to keep his composure. He knew that if he were any lesser man, like the one he was before, then he would've fainted. After all, who wouldn't before this sight? There were the organs and blood splattered on walls and streets; ones barely masked by the singed burns and black marks of explosives. The fowl stench that permeated the air reached his nose, the horrible scent of shit, blood, and piss all created a disharmony that threatened to make Saito leave the area. There were men fighting against each other, but it was incredibly easy to tell the difference. Saito watched on with a disturbed look at the manic grins on the Reconquista's Soldiers' faces, and fear on the other set of soldeirs. If one looked closer, there would be an extra disturbing detail that not even one person would dare overlook. It was one detail that Cromwell had suggested, and the one that further cemented it for Saito that Cromwell was no ordinary _insane man_. The mere ideas that came from the madman made his blood run cold, and the fact that he was being supported sent several alarms in his head. There were red objects with strings on top that were lit, ones that Saito could remember that Cromwell had called "dynamite". These red objects were strapped around the one side of the soldiers' body, the team that Saito could recognize as his… "fellow" soldiers.

He could remember the one person who opposed this idea, but was immediately fried to dust by that Sheffield person. He honestly couldn't tell what happened. She just snapped her fingers, and lightning struck through the window in order to hit the target. It had left a very unwelcome memory for him, especially the conflicted green eyes Sheffield had when she did it.

Saito couldn't help but feel that Sheffield was in the same page as him.

There were shouts of fear from the other side, and what seemed to be like the leader of the dimming platoon was shouting for his men to retreat. Unfortunately, Saito knew that these men wouldn't be able to do so. There was a war cry from Reconquista's side, and they renewed their vigour of charge.

Saito couldn't bear to join in as he'd watched on helplessly from the sides. His grip on Derflinger had loosened, as his knees buckled at the very state of his allies, and enemies. Metal clanged against each other; metal scrapped against another that created a screeching pitch that would've deafened the ears. Footsteps stomped against the pavement, along with the cries of madmen and dying men

The very natural song of war.

A sword managed to bypass the defences of the soldier, and said soldier screamed in fear and pain as it pierced through his throat. The Reconquista soldier viciously pulled his sword up, decapitating the man, and shouted a war cry. Another soldier, far from that one, had exploded as the dynamites had finally reached the end of their fuse, causing a loud and sickening noise to send the entire battle into silence. The soldiers of the enemy team had all looked shaken, but it looked like it wasn't the first time they had seen it. Of course it wouldn't, there was one who already exploded earlier. A war cry then erupted once again from the insane soldiers, and continued to make their way towards Albion's defending forces. "R-retreat! Run, just don't bother!" the leader had shouted, who completely lost his morale due to the insane tactics that Reconquista had. Honestly, Saito couldn't blame him. Even he would've run at that state. The Albion soldiers let go of their weapons, and immediately turned tail to flee. _Don't let anyone leave alive._ Shivers went down his spine when Saito recalled his mission, and his sole reason for being here. The daunting and sharp eyes of the Viscount pierced into his soul, and his already ragged and bated breath only quickened. He tried to calm his nerves by breathing slowly and steadily, but it seemed like that hadn't been enough to stop his grip on Derflinger from shaking.

"… Pardn'er, I hate this more than you do, but it's like you've said. We don't have much choice," his partner told him. He hated how true Derflinger had spoken, and how accurate his statement was. He slowly raised his sword in front of him, and he idly watched what little light reflected off its rusty surface. It still hadn't been cleaned off its rust, no matter what kind of magical solution they used. "If it's any better, I share the blood you've stained in your hands. Well, quite literally as they are stained on my body. Pft, if they were a lady's juices then I wouldn't complain, know what I'm saying?" Saito cracked a smile despite the pressure. Derflinger truly knew him well enough to know the type of jokes to cheer him up. Unfortunately, that kind of cheering up was only effective for a second. It was war he was facing, and war demanded no comedy, nor joking around. It demanded blood. As a child of war, it will be blood that he will have to give. From his spot, he forced his shaking knees to move. He dashed off and intercepted the retreating soldiers. Unlike the last time he fought a soldier, he had the advantage- mostly due to being more prepared this time compared to his rather amateur-ish standoff with the soldier that pursuit him. He also had another advantage: soldiers were too busy trying to save their hides to even notice the small boy that had come to stop them from retreating. The result had been bloody and rough. It had been amateur-ish, and executed poorly.

It had been enough for the fleeing soldiers.

Saito cleaved through the fleeing platoon with ease, as he'd noticed that most of them were all too weary to fight back. They could only helplessly watch as Saito's blade neared their necks, and watch the blood that would soon be flooding out of their throat like a waterfall. His blade sliced through flesh with relative ease, it felt like butter despite the fact Derflinger was rusted. It was the power of a magical sword from what he could convene from this short yet terrifying experience. A few managed to make noises of alarm, and alerted their leader, who immediately stopped running and turned to face the prominent threat. His surprise could be seen from the way how wide his eyes were beneath the helmet. "I-it's-!" his voice cut short, quite literally as the tip of Derflinger's blade found its way to pierce through the man's voice box. The man could only make spluttering and odd noises as he slowly fell to the floor. Saito only watched coldly as it happened, and turned to look at the other soldiers who all had stopped in their tracks. They no longer had any weapons on hand, and all crumbled to their feet and began to cry. Grown men were crying, and begging him and the Reconquista soldiers for mercy. Saito only looked up from underneath his hood, and saw the Reconquista soldiers coming close.

"You've done well, boy. Please, send my regards to the Viscount. Glory to Cromwell, glory to Reconquista!" the leader of the platoon called out to him. Saito only nodded, fully knowing the reason why they could not report to Cromwell. He could hear the fear in the man's voice, and he could only bite his lip. There was nothing he could do anymore, as he could see the fuse reaching its end. Even if he tried to save them then, he would've only been caught up in the blast. He didn't wish to die, not when he had family to feed. He only merely turned around to leave, and _ran_. He never looked back, even when he heard the explosion just several feet behind him. His cloak billowed from the force of the explosions, and he could hear the crumbling of the houses behind him. In fact, he had stumbled in his steps from the wind behind him. It had been a disturbing noise as rocks fell upon bodies, and the sickening _crunches_ of bones and flesh echoed in the streets. Derflinger remained silent, to mourn for the dead, despite his usual tendencies to provide a quick joke to try and lighten up Saito's mood. After all, there was simply no joke to be made- to be had in a situation like this.

The poor boy kept on running until he finally stumbled upon the new headquarters that Reconquista had. It was deeper into the slums, and well camouflaged by the amount of poor people that surrounded it. He took his time there to catch his breath, as he sat down on the foot of the door before the building and set the bloody Derflinger at his side. His next instruction was to not enter the building until his "Esteemed Brother" had arrived. It had been silence for the most part between Derflinger and Saito as the boy tried to live down his memories of being in that disgusting and horrible mess. He was only a young teenager in his 16s, something like this wasn't supposed to be something he should be seeing. His vision tunnelled, his breath hitched and his senses felt numb and cold. He could feel the sweat pour down his temples and soak his clothes; his surroundings, he could only barely hear them. It was like he was submerged underwater, and his hearing was being muffled by something.

"-to, Saito!" a rusty and old voice called out to him. His eyes widened, and he exhaled a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding in. He turned to the source of the voice, and it simply had been Derflinger who brought him out of his thoughts. He sighed shakily, and closed his eyes to calm his nerves. "Look, pardn'er, I get it that this is incredibly hard for you, but try to keep yourself together," it spoke out. Saito flinched from the tone Derflinger spoke to him, but he knew he was right. He raised his hands and slapped his cheeks, but the haunting screams were still there. Beside him, Derflinger let out a sigh. "As always, war never changes. It's still the same through and through, regardless of whatever you aim to fight for. It's always the youngsters like you are the victims," it spoke out. Saito listened to Derflinger numbly, as he'd raised his tired eyes and roamed over the surroundings. He spotted a weapon shop, and a small smile found its way to his lips. "Hmm? What's wrong, pardn'er? Finally got you to smile for once, is dark humour your thing?" it sounded scandalized, but Saito knew he was joking. Saito sighed annoyingly, but the smile never left his face.

"No, it's definitely not my type of humor, Derf. I just remembered the time when I first met you."

"Hoho, that's been what, 3 years, 2 years ago?"

"One year ago, Derf. One year," he said while she shook his head ruefully.

Derflinger let out a hearty laugh. "What can I say, I'm growing old. My memories not with me, I've lived for over many millennia now to count!"

"It was five millennia, Derf. You told me that."

"Have I really? Strange."

Saito let out a small smile as he'd tried to hum his problems away and leaned back. In order to avoid thinking about what happened, he drifted his mind to the time when he met Derflinger. Actually, he had met Derflinger by mere accident. It was during the time when he had broken his sword and that damned Wardes threw him back to Tristain to look for a worthy sword. Saito couldn't understand why he couldn't just pick one out of the armory, but his "Esteemed Brother" insisted. It had been his "mission" then to look for a weapon that would greatly benefit him- in the price of just less or equal to 100 Écu. It had been particularly tough for Saito as he'd looked over the weapon shops from the nearby villages, and finally the main town that was nearby the Academy. He could remember spotting a red haired lady that made him stop in his tracks. Dear Founder, she was _gorgeous_. The pink haired one and the busty maid one were fantastic too. He could remember having the need to crouch down on an alley to hide his "sword" underneath his pants too. _Wait, wait, bad, bad, that's bad,_ Saito immediately thought when he could feel his little-self perked up in attention from his _dangerous_ and _risque_ thoughts. He shook his head, and tried to recall how he truly met Derflinger. He hummed as he remembered the owner of the shop, who practically threw Derflinger at him when he asked if there was anything he could buy for 100 Écu. It was only during the way back to Albion on an airship in his private room when the sword finally decided to speak.

It was both a terrifying and enlightening experience.

Ever since then, he grew a sense of camaraderie with Derflinger; mostly due to the shared perverted jokes he had with the sword. It was Derf who had provided comfort in the nights he was being plagued by his nightmares, and gave him confidence whenever he fought and made sure that there wasn't anyone around to hear him. It was also Derf who taught him how to fight, and not the way his "Esteemed Brother" had. He sighed. If only Derf was a human woman, then things would've been much better now that he considered the types of things he'd went through with the sword. In fact, it was creepy yet accurate enough to consider Derf as a wonderful housewife. "Oi, you're thinking about something perverted again," the sword called out to him. Wisely, Saito ignored it.

"Ah, Saito. You've arrived early," a voice called out to him. Immediately, Saito stiffened and turned to the one person who had that despicable voice. There stood before him was Wardes, who had blood on his face and calmly wiping it off with a cloth. "You've been doing great recently. Keep it up, though if only I could say the same right now," the Viscount spoke to him with grave looks in his eyes. Saito was confused.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Some… unprecedented developments that halted and would most likely put our invasion of Albion on hold until we resolve this. You and I will need to go back home," Wardes said as he'd handed a letter to Saito. "Cromwell's orders."

Saito's expression took a similarly grave one as Wardes as he'd slowly opened the letter. He read the contents, and his eyes slowly widened as he continued reading. A foreign princess was said to be visiting the Tristain, and the kingdom she came from was apparently unknown. Immediately, Saito understood the reason why the invasion would be put on hold. He felt immediately glad for the letter, and his hope of freedom rose. There was an unknown factor now that could threaten Reconquista, but there was a more important reason. He now finally had a chance to cut his ties from Reconquista. If he could just meet this princess, then he knew he would be free.

Now, it was only a matter of patience.

* * *

 **Mipha**

It had been several weeks since the incident with the Count, and the princess was very glad to say that she had finally come to terms with the events. While, granted that she still had a few nightmares about the manor that kept her up at night, they were all manageable. Compare those nightmares with the ones she had from the battle with that _blight,_ they were mere sweet dreams. In fact, she had been living remotely happily now, as even Louise had cheered up from the incident, as did Siesta. However, of course, there was a rather unfortunate side effect. Ever since the incident with Mott, it was now inevitable that the former Zora Princess would draw attention from the surrounding nobles, and the Crown Princess herself. She could remember Louise had broken into a panicked state over how they should handle the situation, until Siesta suggested that Mipha didn't wish to be disturbed.

Obviously, Mipha disagreed with that. She was completely fine with entertaining the guests; she believed that it was simply quite rude to send them away after they came from so far away just to meet her. It was part of her training as a royalty to entertain guests too, whether unwanted or the other. Unfortunately, her vote was outweighed from two to one. Ever since then, Mipha had been forcibly hidden in Siesta's room while Siesta and Louise sent the nobles away in disappointment of not being able to see the fabled "red-haired goddess". Kirche and Tabitha heard about this predicament in just mere hours after their first plan had been developed. Of course, being the good friends they were, they took it upon themselves to "protect" Mipha. Though, the ex-Zora would admit that the Germanian's methods were rather unorthodox. It was what Mipha knew what Daruk would say as "Overkill". In fact, the red head didn't understand what Kirche had planned to do with the suitors that she had caught. When she questioned the Germanian about this though, she only got the answer of a wink, and a teasing laughter.

On the flip side, the five of them were pretty much inseparable. They all enjoyed each other's company during their lunch breaks, even during the times when there were nobles outside. That day happened to be one of those days when they enjoyed tea together. It was the break time in the afternoon, where Louise's classes had just ended, and Mipha was finally free to exit Siesta's room to avoid being hunted down by her sudden influx of suitors. Though there was certainly no lack of suitors for the princess. The spectators could testify for that, as they'd watched the amount of male students grovelling at their feet before the pinkette. Their determination went that far just in order to speak, or even breathe the same hair as the princess.

"Ugh, won't these people ever catch a break?" Louise grumbled as she'd flicked her wand and casted a spell that softly escaped her lips. On the instant, a bright light sparked through and exploded underneath the floor of the groveling nobles, who all shouted in indignation as a response. She huffed when she heard them complain, and simply turned away with closed ears. The princess could only smile ruefully as she watched it happen. She sighed, and waved at the males who looked like they were about to attack the pinkette. It seemed like that was enough for them as they all sighed and left- eager to try again on another day. Honestly, Mipha was troubled with the harsh methods they used.

"Oh, hush, Mipha. You know that this is for your own good," a sultry voice spoke to her side, and Mipha sighed again. She disliked anything that could result to harm; well, perhaps the incident with the Count was a completely exception.

"I know, but it's just… Isn't that too much?" the princess trailed off as she'd frowned at the leaving students. While she understood that it was truly for her best, as she could remember her first week of being labelled as some sort of "goddess". That hadn't been a remarkably fun week.

"Nothing will ever be too much for them," Louise grumbled as she pulled a chair and sat herself down on the table of five friends. The only signifier that Tabitha was paying attention was her very subtle nod, and a quick sip of her tea. Siesta chuckled nervously from Louise's remark, as she poured a cup of tea for the pinkette. The young mage gave the maid a curt nod of gratitude, and sipped on her tea. She nodded approvingly. "You've finally caught my taste. I'm impressed," she said with all the dignity of a noble. Siesta's face lit up at that, and it was evident through the bright smile that currently donned the maid's face.

"Why, praise is beyond me, I'm not worthy of it, Miss Vallière," she said with mock shock on her features as she bowed her head. That caused different reactions on the table, whereas Mipha and Kirche were chuckling at the maid's antics, while Louise was embarrassed and turned her head away. Tabitha looked up momentarily and gave Siesta a thumbs-up. Siesta's apparent fondness of acting only grew since the incident, and when the princess asked her about that out of curiosity, the maid had replied "since I'm not that strong physically and magically, I need to be strong in somewhere else! So, I'll start out with learning to act, and maybe I can, uhm, trick people so I can get off nicely". The answer had caught the princess off guard, and Mipha felt admired of the maid's conviction. Whatever happened in the manor seemed to have sparked the sense of duty and courage within the maid. Why, that was the very reason why she had grown to tease her and the others more as day passed.

"Hmph, insolent maid. You dare joke about my praise?" the pinkette tried to raise her voice, but a moment's twitch of her lips said it all that Louise was simply joking back. Siesta had immediately rose up from her bowing form, her eyes wide, and her eyebrows all the way up her hairline. She quickly raised her hands, and waved them from side to side. "N-No, I wouldn't dare! Especially if it comes from such a _talented_ noble such as yours truly," the maid spoke out, but that only served Kirche to gradually laugh. The princess, however, didn't have the leisure to. Mipha immediately turned her attention to Louise to gauge her reaction, but was only surprised when the pinkette had actually _snorted_ from the joke, and tried to compose herself. That brought a warm smile to the red head's face, which the consequences could be heard as a few of the male students watching from afar had all fallen into the grass from the princess' beauty. She felt proud of Louise for being able to take the awful jokes now in stride. It had been her talent that had bothered the pinkette, but now that she was actually able to cast spells and progress with them, it had been like a weight was gone from her shoulders.

"Oh, _talented_ , I see? Well, perhaps I should demonstrate one of my talents then, as a _gift_ to someone who appreciates me," the pinkette said as she threateningly rose her wand. This time, genuine horror broke into Siesta's face, but nothing else happened. After all, Louise finally cracked and began to laugh along with Kirche. "H-hey, that wasn't fair!" Siesta complained, but there was a smile on her face regardless. Mipha had to let out a soft chuckle from the interactions between the two, while Tabitha had the faintest features of a smile on her lips. "Dear Founder, Siesta, your talent in acting has grown quite superbly. Though, you did break your character by the end," Kirche criticized. The maid only sheepishly scratched her cheek as a response. The table continued their cheery laughter, and took a few seconds to calm down.

"Regardless, Siesta, you've made this tea up to my tastes now. Well done," Louise said again, which Siesta took wholeheartedly this time. Mipha made a gesture for Siesta to sit down as well, which the maid gratefully took. She took the seat next to Tabitha. The bluenette only reacted by nodding her head. Kirche chuckled at the display between the two. "I never would've thought that in my entire life that the Zero would treat a commoner so kindly," the Germanian said. The pinkette blinked for a second with her eyebrows furrowed on her forehead. Kirche waved her off, and leaned back. "A lot of things have changed for us, huh. When I first came here, I honestly thought that I'd be fighting you for the entire time as a rival, Louise. Though, I guess that hasn't changed," she said with a glint in her eyes. That glint worried the princess, as she now looked alternatively between her master, and the pseudo-Gerudo. The pinkette only let out a dignified harrumph, before she took a sip of her cup. "I'll just let you know, Kirche, but I don't plan on losing!" The Germanian laughed at that, and took a sip of hers.

"We'll see, especially on the upcoming exhibition in two days," she followed up as she set her cup down. She grinned at Louise, who took a while to process that information, and Mipha had to admit, she was quite confused. What exhibition Kirche was talking about, she had no idea at all. Though, as the princess watched the rose cheeks of the pinkette turn pale by the second, she immediately thought that it was a bad thing. Just only seconds later and the pinkette let out a truly distressed shout as she clutched the sides of her head with her small hands. "Argh, I forgot about that! The princess is supposed to arrive too, how am I supposed to prese- introduce Mipha when she's already widely known all over Tristain!" She muttered loudly enough for everyone around her to hear. That put a little damper on the teasing mood Kirche had, and she chuckled nervously for it. The princess could only smile sheepishly as she looked at Louise with a bit of remorse from her expressions. Mipha knew she could've handled the situation more carefully, but it'd already happened. There was nothing they could do now.

"Tabitha, do you have any suggestions how we can, uhm, deal with this?" Siesta asked the one member of the smalle circle of friends who had been busy shoving her entire face on the book she was reading. The bluenette raised her head for a moment as she contemplated about the best course of action. "… None," the bluenette let out after a few seconds of tensed silence. The answer was obviously disheartening as the mood around the table became a little bit damper. It was one thing that Mipha disliked, so she hurriedly thought of a suggestion with all the grace she had as a princess. "U-uhm, we can try using our magic to create a pseudo shape and maybe try to mask it's a living thing?" she suggested as she frantically waved her hands around to try and uplift the mood. Fortunately, her actions had merit as the people around her giggled at her movements. Though, she never realized why. After all, she was truly an innocent princess who gets too flustered very easily.

 _Ah… Perhaps that's also another reason why I was denied to speak with any of the arriving nobles…_

Mipha finally understood their struggles. The pinkette sighed tiredly before looking at Tabitha. "Will that work, Tabitha?" The pinkette asked. Tabitha stared straight at Louise, an action that left the young mage uncomfortable. Mipha could sympathize with the pinkette. After all, she had been one of the few of being under the bluenette's startling calculating gaze. "… No. Too obvious," the bluenette answered before she buried her face on her book once again. Louise sighed, and that left Mipha a little disheartened. "W-well, maybe we can just, uhm, find some magical animal and see what we got?" she asked. Louise was about to open her mouth to protest about that point, before she clamped it shut and thought about the idea. Mipha was fully aware of what she was implying.

She had picked up a book about Familiars some weeks ago, and it was in there that she had read that a mage can only have one familiar- though, that didn't mean that they didn't have the capacity to have more than one. It was apparently more thoroughly based on the user's Willpower, and it's dependent on that to summon more familiars. However, there was a difference between a familiar, and a "Familiar".

Then, there was also the fact that whatever magical beast they needed to find, it needed to have a similar affinity to Louise… whose current affinity was relatively "unknown". Even though she and the princess had made great strides in improving her use of magic, particularly how to utilize it, the question of her elemental affinity still remained. Quite frankly, it had been infuriating for both parties, but Mipha still kept her hope up. After all, what her master was going through right now had been similar to what Zelda had gone through. She believed that by helping Louise, she would be able to honour the Champions' Promise to the princess of supporting her through and through. After all, there was something in the pinkette that greatly reminded Mipha of Zelda. Not only was it the possible natural ineptitude of drawing their inner energies, but it was the elemental sign that she could somehow sense within the pinkette. In the past days, she had especially doubled her efforts ever since the incident with Mott. While she was not particularly well educated about the threat known as the Malice, she was easily able to recognize it, and its causes. The Mott's behaviour was a possible sign of creating Malice in this world that she had ended up in, and she fully took on the responsibility on her own to keep that from happening.

As a result of her intensified training of her magical arts, she had learned to sense the magical energies around her and be able to differentiate them. However, she was not capable of keeping that ability for even remotely a second due to the _richness_ of magic around her. The last time she had tried to do so, it was during one of her training sessions with Louise; she passed out immediately the moment she tried it. However, it was during that moment that Mipha had _sensed_ something in Louise- a power that Mipha knew that Zelda had, one that was eerily similar to the recordings of the previous users of Zelda's sealing powers that the Hylian Princess had told her when she inquired it. Honestly, it shocked Mipha, and that worried her at the same time.

She needn't another Ganon in her lifetime.

 _A light affinity, but I… highly doubt that is plausible. Especially considering the magical system these children use,_ Mipha thought to herself. In this world, a "light" element hadn't existed; that was why Louise's affinity is considered as "unknown" for the world. She also knew of the dangers of exposing Louise to her "brand" of magic, which was why she halted herself from teaching the pinkette any more than she already knew. If that wasn't enough, the two of them had talked about it, and they unanimously agreed to stop their experiments with Magic and Science. While that made progress a little harder for the pinkette, she welcomed the challenge. After all, she had successfully managed to use another spell, one that she called "Air Shield" despite it all. It effectively stopped all sorts of incoming spells, courtesy of Mipha and Tabitha who tried it out. They never invited the Germanian, who would most likely through another hissy fit once she saw the shield. "The shield already made Tabitha almost pop her eyes out, I dread to think of that Zerbst's reaction," was the answer Louise provided whenever Siesta asked why Zerbst wasn't the only one allowed during their magical sessions. It was truly not in Mipha's nature to agree with such rude remark, but she was forced to agree with Louise's remark. The last time that Kirche had seen Louise cast a spell was her "Fireball" spell, and the pseudo-Gerudo never stopped asking Louise about it after the day they arrived back at the academy. It had been a truly gruelling ordeal for her master.

Anyways, now there was the problem of finding the appropriate magical creature. It was Siesta who raised this concern, while she also raised her hand to speak. "Uhm, how exactly are we able to do that when Louise doesn't have an affi- eep!" she immediately stopped herself when the small pinkette glared at her. Though, the glare only lasted for a few seconds, before she sighed. She leaned back, and crossed her arms. "Not to mention, we need to make sure that this… 'familiar' would obey me obediently and have a pair of carved runes that won't look fake at all," she continued Siesta's comment despite herself. The five members around the table went into deep silence, as they all thought about the possible explanations of how to get Louise an extra familiar for the exhibition.

"…How about we ask one of your family members to 'borrow' a familiar, Louise?" Kirche suggested. Louise turned to her with a sickly pale expression, and immediately shook her head. Mipha's eyes softened at that. She knew that the pinkette didn't have a great relationship with her family, and only this person that her master had called as "Elder Sister Cattleya" could be considered as "family" to Louise. It was a thought that had greatly distraught the princess. After all, she was one who had been born into a loving, and kindly family. The distinctions she could connect between Louise and Zelda were even stronger now, and that made her all the more motivated to tend to the young mage as much as she could.

"Urgh, why don't you just have a normal affinity, Louise," Kirche groaned out as she slumped on her chair with a visible pout, and a thinking mind. Louise only laughed her statement off nervously. Mipha saw Siesta look to the side, before she made an "o" with her mouth.

"Why don't we just check out the nearby forests, maybe there's something out there?"

"None" came the swift reply of the bluenette. The maid was visibly disheartened by the merciless reply of Tabitha, but nonetheless continued to think.

"H-how about we find a normal animal, and uhm, apply some spells on it to make it look magical?" the maid suggested again. Tabitha looked like she was about to shoot down the suggestion again, before a contemplative expression had settled down on her visage. Kirche blinked at the suggestion, while Louise looked unsure of it. For the ex-princess, she smiled at the suggestion.

"Perhaps, that could work," Mipha said. "Maybe we could even perhaps make the elements circulate it, and make it have some sort of elemental property!" The others looked at each other, and thought hard about the suggestion.

"Plausible, yet difficult," the bluenette agreed to the plan.

"Hmm… while it's no different from Mipha's suggestion earlier, I suppose we could try to mask us using magic to help Louise, but won't we be found out easily?" Kirche followed the idea. Louise visibly looked conflicted about it as well. If there was even a simple square mage during the exhibition, then surely they would be found out.

"Don't worry, I have confidence in my ability to hide my spells! Nothing bad will happen, I promise," Mipha said as she smiled brightly. Though, something was telling Mipha that her plan would eventually not come into a bit of fruition.

* * *

 **Louise**

The pinkette sighed as she cradled the bunny in her arms, and looked at the equally innocent and cuddly princess on her bed. After they had agreed with the idea to find a normal animal and cast some magic around it to make it look some sort of magical spirit, they had immediately went out to look for an animal that they could easily tame. The pinkette was thankful that there had been a bunny nearby, and catching it was easy thanks to Tabitha. Unfortunately, it hadn't been very peaceful. The bunny, being the timid creature it was, mistook them for predators and was constantly trying to run away from them. It even nipped at Kirche's hand when she stretched a hand out to soothe the little creature. They almost decided to release the creature, until Mipha had stepped in with a suggestion. Obviously, the pinkette and the group were very doubtful of her plan. The princess wanted to give her and the bunny a few hours together on their own. Still, they had nothing to lose, so while the princess went to calm the bunny, they went to look for more animals.

It was an unfortunate cause. The bunny seemed to be the only woodland creature in the area, and there was not even a sight of a deer or any of the like. There were no signs of the children the bunny potentially had either, no matter how hard they looked around. Though, the group could say that was a good thing. They wouldn't want to have the idea of stealing a mother rabbit from her children plaguing their conscience. They came back to the spot where they found the rabbit, and waited there until Mipha returned. There was only simple idle conversation, mostly how Louise was adjusting with her recent fame of graduating from "Zero". After a few hours, the princess came back with a big smile on her face, and the bunny seemingly comfortable in her arms. Louise didn't know how she did it, but she was thankful that the princess had managed to calm the bunny down. What she wasn't thankful for was the panic that came to her when the red head princess suddenly collapsed after she had returned. She could remember the flushed expression on the princess' face, and asking what was happening and if she was going to be okay. Tabitha immediately managed to zero in on the cause of Mipha's sudden collapse to something akin of overspending her Willpower for the last few days.

Honestly, Louise felt guilty about that. She knew that it had been her fault that Mipha had potentially overspent herself due to the fact she had requested for their daily training to increase in intensity. Unfortunately, that only meant more work for Mipha as Louise could only use selected few spells to test against her. Also, there was the fact that her spells were surprisingly more destructive than the princess', so Mipha was hard pressed to defend herself from the damage Louise's spells could cause. Of course, the princess didn't voice any complaint about it- in fact, she was in complete awe of Louise's abilities. While it had always been embarrassing for the pinkette to be praised so much, she was also very happy; though, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the reason why Mipha was praising her so much was due to the fact that Mipha seemed like she was compensating for something.

Despite all the probes Louise had done, the princess simply wouldn't budge about telling her the "recent" stories about her past. Surely, she had already spoken to Louise about her times in the Zora Domain, her little brother Sidon, and her father Dorephan, who was the king of the Zora, but that was all there was in Mipha's tale. Louise knew that there was something more, and that something more always seemed to place a bittersweet expression on the princess' face. It was an expression that she had never seen anyone do before in her life, and it _hurt_ her. The pinkette already considered Mipha as part of her family; an elder-sister-figure in place of the lack of her beloved elder sister Cattleya's presence in the academy. To see Mipha doing the expression, it made her wish that she knew more about the princess than the latter let on. Though, she wouldn't pry any further… or maybe she should? The pinkette let out a frustrated sigh, as she slumped on her chair. The bunny on her arms started to protest it seemed, and she quickly let go of the bunny before it got too rampant on her arms. She watched the bunny as it hopped on the floor, kicking its hind legs at her. Louise blinked. _Did- did the bunny just flip me off?_

It seemed like the pinkette had three problems now. She sighed loudly and ruffled her head from the stress and frustration.

"Hm, Louise?"

The pinkette was startled from the princess suddenly calling out her name. She quickly turned her head back to the princess, whose eyes were currently blearily opened. "Ah, sorry, did I wake you up? You should go back to sleep," Louise said quickly. She took the wet towel from Mipha's forehead, and changed it with a fresh new one.

"Hmm, okay, just making sure," Mipha said reluctantly, before her eyes slowly opened. Louise sighed softly when Mipha looked like she was about to drift off to sleep. She stood up from her chair to go look for wherever the bunny went away to. Honestly, how could such a little _white_ creature slip out of her vision in a _dark_ room? As she was about to go and walk around, but she heard Mipha's speak. There was gravity in it, a deepness that caused Louise to stop her tracks and turn to the recovering princess. The words rang in her head, they echoed and proved her initial thought right. " _You remind me of him for so much"._ Louise immediately sat back down on her chair, and went as far as dragging it closer to the bed. Her heart pounded as she tried to formulate the question in her mind. Who was this person that she reminded Mipha of? Was he an important person in her life? She gulped down the saliva that gathered in her mouth. She had so many things she wished to say, but she could only choose one. She didn't wish to burden an already sick and tired Mipha with a heavy question, so, she decided to stay silent. However, aFter several seconds had passed, it didn't seem like the princess would fall asleep. It felt as if the princess was waiting for her to question her- to question what she meant. This only sent a new wave of anxieties for the pinkette. Should she ask the princess, or she should she stall her mouth? If she chose to ask the princess, she might receive the princess' ire for taking advantage of her current state. However, if she chose not to, then she would potentially not be able to learn more than what the princess provided her.

The decision tore her heart. She didn't want to take advantage of her benefactor, but, maybe, the princess would forgive her. _Just this once._ The pinkette gathered her courage, and voiced her question: "who… is this person that I remind you of?"

There was a silence that followed after the question. Despite the state of the princess, Louise felt a tension in the air that it choked her. She couldn't quite understand why either; no maybe she could, but she simply refused to admit it. The room's temperature had increased, frighteningly so. It was almost as if the question she asked was a forbidden topic, and it was one that had possibly gained the princess' ire. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out from fright of escalating the situation. Her skin turned pale, and she found herself stuck in her chair. She could only hope that Mipha would answer the question, or just fall asleep without remembering any of this. Though, reality was certainly harsher than ideal.

"A person that I care for from the very bottom of my heart," the princess leaked out easily, her words clear and cut like crystal waters, but the emotion behind the voice rivalled the depth of the ocean. Her eyes were closed, but there was no mistaking the sole tear that ran down her eye. "A person, afflicted by the war brought upon us, and changed from it. I couldn't save him."

A heavy feeling spread through Louise's chest. _Was this the reason why Mipha never once spoke about her recent life?_ If so, then Louise could somehow understand. Her own feelings of inferiority from the past several years had all been bottled up, in fear of what other people thought of her if she leaked out her weakness. She was the daughter of Karin the Heavy Wind. There was nothing less than perfection that people expected from her. To Mipha, who was a princess, the burden of hiding emotions was magnitude greater to what Louise had experienced. However, there was something else she felt behind the princess' words. "Mipha…" Louise called out as a small sigh had escaped her lips as she did. The princess looked truly uncomfortable, but it seemed like she had passed out. It was as if those words took all of her strength to speak, and the temperature in the room had returned to its normal temperature. The change of heat hadn't been enough to create a mist, but it had been enough for Louise to let things sink in.

Mipha had a lover.

While the princess hadn't explicitly spoken about it, Louise could infer that much from the very detail that Mipha had partaken her with. The sheer emotion she could feel from behind her confession had been undeniable, and it struck a chord in Louise. She immediately felt guilty and worried for the princess. It was certainly no wonder that Mipha seemed so at lost at times, and her expression would be so full of yearning in the very rare nights she had caught her awake. She had quite literally stolen her from her lover, the very lover who was being ravaged by the beasts of presumably what were the nightmares from this "war" she spoke of. Of course, she hadn't told the princess about spying on her, she was too much of a coward to admit such. Also, there was still her pride to think about.

Though, quite honestly, that was simply the farthest Louise could empathize with Mipha. Unlike the princess, the most Louise felt close to love was admiration for her betrothed. In fact, she was no longer sure if she still had feelings for Viscount Wardes. It simply had been too long since she had last seen him, and that was when she was a mere child who was growing into her adolescence. She had once long resigned herself as well to her fate of being married to him, but _now_ she obviously had a bigger path ahead of her. She didn't wish to end her achievements half-heartedly, and half-finished. To do so would be a stain to her honour, and throwing mud all over the efforts Mipha and Siesta had given her. She wished to put the engagement aside, despite her fear of how much her mother would blow up. Then, there was the other problem that she had been avoiding for the past weeks ever since news arrived at the Vallière Mansion that Louise can use magic. Her mother was immediately asking for her to show the results, and deem it if she were to continue in the academy. Though, she knew that was simply her mother's way of congratulating her, it was still intimidating to know that her mother could still literally plug her out from the academy with just one decision.

However, she felt no fear. She was certainly powerful, growing ever so powerful to the point that she had estimated herself to have a 5% chance in winning against Tabitha. If she could somehow manage to bait the bluenette into casting her strongest spell on her, and use her "Wind Barrier" in time, then she would be able to claim victory with her "Fireball". That was, of course, if she could last longer than a minute against the bluenette. However, Louise wasn't one to have false hopes, not anymore after the light Mipha had shown her. It was then when Louise felt enlightened. A small smile entered her lips, and she instantly knew that her worries for Mipha's ire were baseless. After all, Mipha was a kind princess, but it wasn't only that. She had grown closer to the princess, and maybe, the princess has grown closer to her. Even during the times when she was sick and taken care of by the maids, she had never once let a single weakness escape her lips when they asked "why she was still pursuing magic despite the faulty results". She still had control of her mental faculties then, and she knew for a fact that Mipha had control over her's when she revealed that small fact about to her. The princess trusted her, as much as the pinkette trusted her as a family.

That made it all the more reason to defy the fate that was placed before her. Her future was looking bright for her, and everything was peaceful. She will continue in this academy, even if it meant fighting her own mother.

…

On second thought, that was an awful idea. Louise sighed and slumped deeper into her seat. Maybe, she should take small steps at a time; like getting started to make the bunny like her of course. She got off her seat, her previous worry about the princess having faded after her resolution had found her. "Now, where's that bunny?" she asked herself as she looked around the room on all fours.

Maybe, just maybe, Louise should've felt something more during Mipha's confession. If she had, then she would've been able to prevent what was to come.

* * *

 **"In time of _peace_ , prepare for war."**

 **-Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus**


	13. TWA: Awakening

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter!**

 **This took a while to get out, though it was mostly due to our Finals having taken quite a toll on us. We've just had our semester break finished just last week, so tasks are piled up on our plates again. Fortunately, it'll be smooth sailing from now as December's coming up! Well, we hope. We were informed our Christmas Break will likely start on the 23rd of December, but we'll try to put out the next chapter by December 25! The next chapter will be a slightly special Christmas chapter in the sense that it will be one of the most tame chapters just like the chapter when Siesta, Louise, and Mipha had gone out to buy some clothes! Do look forward for it~**

 **This story isn't M-Rated for nothing.**

* * *

 _ **EXTREME TRIGGERS AHEAD**_

* * *

 **First off, thank you for the new peeps who'd chosen to follow and favourite this story! Hopefully you'll enjoy the new chapters from here as well, please do not hesitate to leave us some reviews so we'll be knowing to what we were doing wrong!**

 **Now, for the reviews~**

 **Guest, ah, alright we'll keep that in mind! Thank you for reading the recent chapter even though we haven't posted ing a long time, hopefully you'll also enjoy this one and continue following this story.**

 **Aria: Uhm, if it's alright with you, can you leave some sort of signature so we can know you're, uhm, well you? We don't wanna get your identity mixed up with another guest in the future or something, it'll be rude of us. Thank you for reading!**

 **ultima-owner, thank you for continuing to read this story and following despite the long months we haven't been posting! Surely, Cromwell will get them, or will he not? You'll have to find you soon.**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for continuing to read this story! We haven't posted in a while, so we're really glad that you peeps continue to read despite our absence. Don't worry, you can see more happy interactions with the cast! We'll definitely add more now on the teaching magic stuff, especially now we're about to embark into some Void Magic territory in this chapter.**

 **Crowe: For something that will go wrong though... Hm, I wonder about that ;)  
**

 **KitsuneNaruto135, thank you for the review and choosing to follow this story after giving it a read! We hope you'll grow to like our Hylian Mipha instead of the Zora counterpart. We do understand your viewpoint in this, so we hope we'll still be able to at least provide you with some entertainment with this story as it grows on!**

 **Xarthos, thank you for the feedback we guess? It's not like we can revert Mipha back to a Zora since we're this far in the story. We apologize we haven't caught your interest in this, we hope you enjoy the other stories of other fellow fanfic authors!**

 **Now, without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Mipha**

Mipha had experienced many things. She had braved the waters of her domain, and aided her father to rule over their people. She had steeled her senses in punishing the trespassers of the law, had mastered the way of the spear once she had come of age. She had fought over her fear of the Lynel in a day after Link had saved her from one. She had fought a manifestation of pure Malice, and drove it out of Vah Ruta when she had been beaten black and blue; yet, despite all of her achievements, she had been brought down to her knees by a very common phenomenon. A loud sneeze echoed in the dark room Mipha was in, and she let out a groan right after. Her vision was blurry, and she could barely see the room. She struggled to reach for what her master had called a "tissue box" on top of the nightstand beside her bed. Said Master was already missing from the room. Louise had already left for her morning classes, albeit reluctantly. It had been the red head's idea for Louise to attend her classes and let her rest. When her hands felt the familiar softness that the ex Zora could describe as "something akin to fragile cloth", she immediately pulled it out of the box. She reached again to feel if another tissue was ready for her to grab, and one she did, she somehow managed to sigh in relief; though, it had been difficult to do so since her nose was clogged. Still, it had truly mystified her that this "tissue box" hadn't run out of tissues yet. _Perhaps, this is done by magic…?_ The princess quickly shook that thought. She was tired and sick, she wasn't thinking straight. She gently raised the tissue in front of her nose, and blew the snot out.

Sickness wasn't one the ex-Zora was familiar with. If anything, her well-being was always far from falling into said state. It had always been her "Grace" that kept her away from what her fellow Zora had suffered. She had heard tales of gill infections, which was the Zora's version of the Hylian's cold- although, definitely worse than the latter. She had also seen some children get sick due to bacteria from a brief swim to the dirtier waters further down the domain. She had never understood the discomfort. Her "Grace" had always kept her healthy and on top condition. Now, she was wondering how it failed her.

She slowly crumpled the tissue paper into a "ball", and tossed it to a nearby trash bin. The bin had been placed nearby, so it _should've_ been impossible for her to miss. She didn't hear the rolled tissue collide with the other piled tissue balls she had thrown away. Once again, a sigh escaped her lips, before she entered a coughing fit. Her throat ached as she coughed, and she inhaled as much as she could right after. Her clogged nose made it difficult to breathe after all. She lifted her hand before her face, and tried to use her "Grace" upon herself. She saw the green light flicker ever so slightly, only to disappear and leave discomfort on her hand. She sighed again, and brought her hand down. At least now, she could understand why she couldn't utilize her magic compared to several hours earlier. She was experiencing what Tabitha had called "Willpower Fever". It was a state when a magician, like Mipha, overuses their mana continuously for several days. Once their mana were to run out after continuous use, the user will fall under a state of fever and slight paralysis, and be incapable of using magic for a week at most. That certainly would explain why Mipha had immediately collapsed then, and was experiencing severe fever and couldn't use any of her magic.

So, how in Nayru's name was she experiencing symptoms of cold?

Mipha sneezed once again, and another groan escaped her small cherry-coloured lips. She reached for another tissue, and promptly blew her nose right after she brought it up to her face. Honestly, it made no sense for her. The least she could remember after reading up on a health book on the library some time ago was that in order to catch a cold, she must come into contact with a person with one. It was either that, or go outside on particularly cold… temperatures.

Revelation struck her like the blow she received when her brother had accidentally smacked the back of her head with a stick.

On that particular night, she _had_ gone out to the woods after she took a bath with still slightly wet hair. Since it was nighttime, it _was_ cold. She had _also_ used a bit of her magic to create mists to try and confuse the rabbit to move towards her, and even used _water_ that was nearly _ice_ to create small bridges that would stop the bunny from falling into holes. It was times like this when Mipha really wanted to smack herself over the silly little mistakes she made. It was no wonder then that she caught a cold. However, even though that was a possible explanation her mind had cooked up, she still doubted it. She had managed to safely dry herself from the water that was accidentally splashed on her, and her Grace would've fought away any kind of bacteria that entered her skin.

Then again, she had been using her magic semi-continuously for the past few days after increasing the intensity of her magic training with Louise. Perhaps the drain of her Willpower had weakened her enough for bacteria to be let through. Now, she could only hope that whatever's inside her body can fight against it. She didn't regret increasing the intensity though, that much she felt. She was, in fact, grateful as she was now able to somehow increase the temperature for the water she would grasp out of air enough to turn into ice. It was a notable feat that, while other dot mages can easily do the same thing, Mipha did it without help of a magic focus. She could remember seeing Louise's shocked expression when Mipha had managed to turn a small portion of the water Vah Ruta she had created into ice. It was good progress, and Mipha liked progress. It kept her minds off the more important things- such as how was the world faring back on her home? Another sigh escaped her lips, but this one was not of tiredness from her sickness. It was one of worry instead, and she greatly worried for the people she had left back at the Continent of Hyrule. While she had no doubts that Link and Zelda had won and accomplished their tasks of driving Ganon at bay, she still had other worries: was Link fine, or was he greatly injured? Was Zelda able to uphold her responsibilities as the Crown Princess of Hyrule, or was she not able to and fell under the pressure? How were the other Champions? Have they fallen like her, or did some or all three of them live unlike her? It was these questions she knew that would never come answered for her, but it were still questions she still greatly desired to learn of. It was her right as a champion to learn what came about the conflict against Ganon, her right as a princess to learn what came about her people, and her right as a sister, daughter, and niece to learn what came about her family.

Now though, she knew as much that she had been robbed of that right. A heavy sigh escaped her lips once again, before she turned her body to the side. She idly noticed something white and folded fall before her vision, and she took a while to register it as the wet towel that Louise had put on her earlier. _I shouldn't be thinking like this_. Truly, this must've been her sickness' fault. Unfortunately, all she could right now was lie on the bed and rest; however, now that she was awake, she could no longer do the last part. She was too awake now, especially since she could hardly breathe. She sighed, and opted to think about the cause of her fever instead. It was unfortunate, but she was quickly running out of things to impart to Louise. In fact, that was one of the few reasons why she immediately accepted the offer of practical activities over their traditional lectures. While Mipha was smart, she was no genius like Zelda. She had forgotten a lot of the things she had learned growing up, especially ones with topics that were nowhere near her passion and expertise. Those topics just flew right through her. Now though, she was regretting them very so slightly. The only recent information she could recall fully were Zelda's ramblings about Sheikah Sciences and Technology- things she never fully understood yet. She could remember the Hylian Princess speak to her about how Light was similar to being "waves" and "particles" at the same time, and by being "reflected" and "refracted", it created images. By bending it around an object, it made the used object disappear. The princess tried to demonstrate this, but, unfortunately, she yielded no progress. So, she wondered, maybe Louise could do it?

By no means was Mipha treating Louise like a test subject. If she were only to have the same affinity as her master, then she would've gladly performed the experiment on her own. It just so happens that she wasn't capable of using any of the spells that Louise was somehow learning on her own. While Mipha knew that her teachings had certainly made an impact to the pinkette's spells, she was also, at the same time, very certain that Louise was applying her lectures wrong. There was something wrong with how the pinkette applied her magic- like there was a driving factor behind them. For an example, there was the case of Louise's [Fireball] which was eerily closer to a Guardian's energy beam rather than being actual fire. She had somehow managed to concentrate the gas to enough to cause it to bounce forwards the speed of light, rather than rotating the gas' heat around before it shot forward by the caster's will. Such an outcome should've been impossible as Mipha had never discussed the speed of light with the pinkette yet during the time. At least there was the very small comfort that the [Fireball] Louise shoots out was nowhere near the original strength of a Guardian's. If it were, then Mipha was certain that she would've already been dead during one of the very few encounters of Louise's spell firing towards her. She was glad that creating a dome of water was enough to somehow protect her from the blast, even if it did cause a larger explosion. Bless Tabitha and her ability to help mend the room every time they were finished.

Honestly, she wondered why the Headmaster hadn't even discovered the little "training session" they do, despite the amount of explosions. Though, then again, she was training _Louise_. The only person in the whole academy to cause explosions, so perhaps the Headmaster gave her a little leeway. That man _did_ "explosion-proofed" all the furniture in Louise's room, according to what Tabitha had said anyway.

 _Wait, perhaps…_

Her mind recalled the information that Louise had given her on the night of her summoning. The mysterious "Founder" figure, the History of Brimir and magic. _Void_ Magic. _So that was Louise's affinity._ Sometimes, it was at this kind of point in her life when the ex-Zora truly wished to slap herself for overlooking such a simple matter. She and Louise had been dragging their thoughts through the mud to find at least a clue to discover Louise's affinity, and the answer had been lying in front of them for the entire time. Then again, it was a topic Louise never entertained, and never elaborated. Books about magic never brought up Void Magic as well, so Mipha had never given it much thought and it eventually faded from her mind. She was more focused on improving her magic then anyways, so it wasn't that big of a surprise to her that she forgot about it.

 _I should write about this later, so I can get my thoughts on the matter._

The princess blinked, as she'd turned her head to the clock. It was around 9 in the morning, meaning it was still early- well, that was according to the sun outside. She turned her attention this time to the window, only to have the bright colour of the sun and blue skies blind her temporarily.

She entered a coughing fit again, before a groan escaped her lips. She turned around again to get the glare out of her eyes. Though, seeing the two colours caused the princess' thoughts to drift towards odd duo. Tabitha and Kirche had contrasting personalities, and it was odd to see the both of them together. In fact, Mipha wouldn't have been surprised if the two weren't friends in the first place. Then again, she could see there was this peculiar perfect chemistry between the two friends. It reminded her lots of her relationship with the Gerudo Champion. Though, as expected, she was closer to her "Human" counterpart over Urbosa's. In fact, ever since the two had traded stories on that fateful night, they had continued to trade more until Mipha pretty much exhausted her supply of _open_ stories. It was slightly unfair, now that the princess thought about it, how Tabitha managed to coax out more stories than she could. Then again, she had been happy to indulge the bluenette. Talking about her previous home had somehow aided to get her homesickness off her chest.

Although, that feeling would never fade away, that much Mipha knew. Her heart still longed to see Link even after the few months she had been summoned here in Tristain. Perhaps, at least seeing even one of the Champions, even Zelda, would've been suffice to satisfy her craving to see her precious friends again.

She sighed and finally felt the tiredness of her body overtake her conscience. It seemed like thinking for the past several minutes had tired her enough to not register that her nose was partially clogged. She drifted into unconsciousness, and welcomed its embrace. After all, she wanted to get healthier as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Louise**

The young mage walked down the stairs with the rest of her classmates. Most of her classmates looked ecstatic. After all, the professors gave them the day off to allow them to practice with their familiars for the upcoming event. A few were already running down the stairs to get a faster head start, most likely the competitive ones, while the others were way on the back due to their growing nervousness that the event was coming near. Though, among the crowd, only three people held similar somber expressions: Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche. After all, what was the point with a Familiar Exhibition if Louise's true familiar wasn't performing? Said familiar was also currently bedridden with sickness, and it was something that Louise felt guilty about. She had left the room after changing the wet towel on the princess' forehead, and it pained her to see the familiar still so happily see her off before entering a coughing fit. She didn't know what she did to deserve Mipha.

"Louise, how's Mipha?" Kirche's voice called out to the pinkette. The pinkette gave the Germanian a glance, before a sigh escaped her lips.

"Not doing very good. She's still bedridden as we speak, and she seemed to have caught a cold overnight," she answered the red head. Never would she have thought that she would be having a casual day-to-day interaction with a Zerbst. Then again, she had long accepted this fact since Kirche could no longer tease her as much as she once before, now that she could do proper magic. Her [Fireball], or as Kirche would've liked to call it: "decimate -its-target-and-everything-it-held-dear spell", had earned the latter's grudging respect. This, in turn, allowed Louise to tease the Germanian back after the days and months of bullying she endured from Kirche.

"Then, how about the bunny? How was the little one faring?" Kirche asked next.

"I found it hiding under the nightstand last night. Barely had any sleep because of it running around when I was trying to catch it. It's still in my room, though I _somehow_ managed to drop it off by the familiars," the pinkette grumbled. She couldn't believe that such a tiny creature proved a challenge to her, and the fact she had to use _[Levitation]_ in order to bring it out of the room.

"Hoh? My, despite being able to use magic properly now, it seems you haven't grown up from being a zero after all!" the red head laughed. That irked Louise, but the hurt was no longer there. She had long left her "Zero" nickname, and now she even had a proper response to Kirche's "biting" remark!

"Hmph! Continue to tease me then, and I won't teach you _my_ [Fireball]." The red head's widened eyes and slacked jaw caused a large grin to appear on Louise's lips.

"Oh, come on!" The Germanian shouted with her arms thrown up in the air. "That wasn't a [Fireball], and you know it Louise! That was like a [Fire Beam] or [Fire Arrow of Death], it's way too powerful and destructive to even _be_ a [Fireball]. Just, where in Founder's name did you even learn that spell?!"

Louise laughed at her reaction, which caused no less embarrassment for the red head who realized she just had an outburst before her classmates. The curious ones were looking over to see what was going on. However, only the silent chuckle later had brought Louise and Kirche's attention more than the observers. They turned to the source, and saw Tabitha who had her mouth covered by a book. However, Louise just _knew_ the chuckle was from Tabitha. In fact, it was basically confirmed to her when Kirche, the "Tabitha Translator" as coined by Siesta, had dropped her jaw. "D-did you just chuckle? At Louise _teasing_ me?" She spoke, the red head's eyes widening even more. There was only silence, and Tabitha just continued to walk forward without replying. "T-tell me I wasn't the only one who heard that."

"I won't then," was the pinkette's cheeky reply, but there was none of the teasing factor there. In fact, she wasn't even surprised her reply hadn't even brought a rise out of Kirche. After all, she was just as shocked. Tabitha was a person who'd never express any of her emotions vocally, even before Kirche. The Germanian tried the most she could to get any reaction off the bluenette, and the _least_ she could get from the bluenette was a somewhat loud sigh.

"It seems like talking with Mipha had done her wonders," Kirche said softly, and Louise noticed the warm smile on the Germanian's face. Now, that only shocked Louise further.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" She demanded, now curious about just what exactly the Germanian meant. The red head turned her eye to her, and raised an eyebrow. A sly grin erupted on her lips, and winked at Louise.

"Sorry, that's private," she said before she walked off to hug Tabitha from behind. It was a comical sight to see the larger Kirche hug the smaller Tabitha, but Louise couldn't enjoy any of that as her mind was now plagued with questions. She couldn't even berate the Germanian for doing such a dangerous act on the stairwell. Her steps slowed down as an influx of thoughts entered her brain, completely blocking out outside noise. Just what did Kirche mean by her words earlier? Was Tabitha experiencing similar things with Mipha? Actually, since when did Mipha and Tabitha get closer to each other? She had never seen the two of them hanging out together on their own, and the only times she could honestly think that they could was during the night when Louise was asleep. _Surely, Mipha won't just leave me on my own in our room… Right?_ Louise frowned. There were too many unknown factors, and she didn't like being left out in the dark. A sigh escaped her lips. She could deal with this problem later. For now, she needed to deal with her top priority problem: getting the bunny to like her.

Louise's foot hit the final step, and she swept her gaze before the familiars before her. She could see Kirche already practicing with her Salamander, doing some odd tricks using the familiar's flames. Maybe at previous times, Louise would've felt contempt for the red head, but now wasn't the case; in fact, she was impressed at what seemed to be the familiar's inherent capability to manipulate the flames that came out of its mouth. Granted it wasn't as impressive as Mipha's water manipulation, it was still enough to grant praise. She turned her head to the next person she knew. Tabitha was sat down on the grass with a book on her hands. It seemed like she didn't look worried for the upcoming competition. Tabitha had always been prepared for most things, and the pinkette could easily guess that Tabitha had already prepared hers. She idly took notice of the owl and Montmorency decorating her frog with a ribbon. When she couldn't find her rabbit though, a frown formed on her lips. It seemed to have retreated to somewhere hidden in favour of being on its lonesome and away from other familiars. Its nature, according to what she learned from the past anyway, was naturally timid. It was a "prey", so it would most likely do its best to avoid anything that remotely resembled a predator. Now that Louise realized that, she really resisted the urge to just slap herself in the face. If only the rule of being a predator applied to her case as well, as it seemed that Louise was likely a huge exception to that rule.

The bunny _hated_ her. Last night and early morning, it would butt its head, and nibble on her shoes whenever the opportunity presented itself. Whenever Louise would try to soothe it down, it would immediately turn and move away with its back legs flicking at her. Fortunately, the problem had only been its attitude. She had seen a completely normal owl from one of her classmates and Montmorency dressing her frog not too long ago, so there was no trouble blending the bunny in. She could just ask Tabitha for help with inscribing the fake runes on. Her only problem was actually training it to do tricks. She had zero knowledge of raising pets, nor had she any knowledge of training them. She could try the approach of punishing the bunny if it did the trick wrong, but she couldn't find the ire in her to do such a thing to an innocent animal. It being cute hadn't helped at all either. She stomped her feet in frustration, before she set off to find her bunny in hiding. The breeze of the air did little to soothe her, and it took her more than a few long steps just to find where it was.

She wasn't at all surprised to find that the one that had found the bunny first was Siesta.

The bunny was currently laying on the grass of the courtyard with the maid sat down next to it and gently petting its top. The bunny seemed to be at peace with the gesture as its whole body completely flat on the floor. The maid had a similar peaceful gesture with her eyes closed, and lips curled up on a smile. The sight softened the pinkette's mood and after letting a sigh escape her lips, she carefully walked over to the two. She had only been a few centimeters away when she saw the bunny's ears suddenly reacted. She completely froze on her steps, and she felt utterly unsure of what to do. The bunny had only been constantly running from her since last night. It seemed like the maid had picked up the sudden change of pace when she looked up at the pinkette. Honestly, the action made Louise all the more nervous. The two stared at each other, blinking one out of curiosity and one because she flinched. The curious one turned her head at the bunny she was caressing and turned her attention back at the pinkette. A "light bulb" seemingly popped up above her head when she connected the dots, and it was an action that Louise would've found amusing if it weren't for the fact she'd have to chase the bunny again if she made the wrong move.

"Ah, Louise, come over here gently. No sudden movements, okay?" Siesta said softly. Her one hand was beckoning her over, and Louise didn't know if she should feel insulted or comforted. The "genuine-looking" smile on Siesta's face didn't help either. Nevertheless, she followed the maid's instructions. She took one small step at a time, but only froze again when, this time, the bunny had turned its attention to her. The bunny stared very intently at her, and she could see its muscles tense as if it was about to bolt. "Ah… sit down on the grass, Louise." Louise damned being frozen, and she turned her full attention at the maid now with the most undignified expression she had ever made in her entire life. She wanted to shout at the maid, and she could literally feel her words about to leave her tongue before she restrained herself. It was physical too as she bit her own tongue, but not strong enough to make it bleed. To her credit, the maid hadn't looked intimidated by the action, and the bunny was still in place. However, it was no longer lying down on the floor; it had taken the opportunity to get up instead. Siesta looked sorry for her request, and only gestured again for Louise to sit down.

 _Is it worth to sit on the dirty grassy floor for this…?_

The answer came moments later, and she slapped the thought away mentally. Of course it was worth to do this. If it meant having progress, then it was definitely worth in the end. _What kind of noble I am, if I'm incapable of even taming a bunny?_ Resolution replaced the previous shock on the pinkette's face. While even though she was a noble, she was certainly only one in title and not by anything else. She had no notable feats to even _deserve_ the title _yet_. For now, she will start at the smallest things, just like how Mipha taught her.

She nodded slowly at Siesta, before gently crouching on the ground. She made sure to do no sudden movement and moved as slow as her body could- all the while keeping her sights at the bunny, but not outright staring at it a few seconds later. She had learned in those short precious seconds that the bunny didn't like being stared at. Louise was a growing girl, hence, she was capable of learning this much. Time felt like it slowed to a crawl as she made utterly sure that she betrayed no movement. Once she sat down on the floor, she eyed the bunny before turning her gaze at Siesta, all the while obediently waiting for the next instructions. The sight made the maid blink several times, and it almost caused the pinkette to grin. _Ha, take that!_ She cheered internally. It seemed like the maid was expecting her to screw up then tease her more about it. A very visible pout entered the maid's lips. A groan left her lips.

"I wasn't expecting you to follow me so quickly, I was really expecting you to blow up or something," the maid said. Louise could only reply with a quick shrug of her shoulder. "Well, I'll continue helping you now, I guess. Just sit down there, and let Ms. Bunny here get acquainted with you. Bunnies like her need time to know people before they feel comfortable with them," Siesta continued, gesturing at the bunny next to her. As if on cue, the bunny had hopped towards Louise with a curious expression, but kept a respectable distance.

"But it- she already knows me though. I was cradling her last night," the young mage replied. "It wasn't as if she was scared of me, she's somehow angry at me even though I haven't done anything wro-" Any words that should've come after got sucked right in her throat once she felt the bunny take a hop at her lap. She sat absolutely still in her position, and didn't even dare try to breathe. Her expression must've been hilarious, because it sent the maid into guffaws.

"J-just you know, b-bunnies don't really like being cradled," Siesta said in between her laughter as she forced herself to calm down.

"B-but, what about her nibbling on my shoes or butting her head against it?" The maid shrugged in response.

"She's probably just trying to get your attention," she said as she'd finally calmed down, though it looked like she was still about to burst into laughter in any second.

"But, why, then, how, ugh… Why was it so tensed when I approached it?"

"No, no, she wasn't. If anything, she was excited when she saw you," Siesta denied her claim with a shake of her head. Louise turned her attention back on the bunny on her lap who grew disinterested in her, and hopped off. Louise sighed slightly in relief, and leaned back with her arms as the support.

"So, after all this time, she actually likes me, huh."

"I think you should count yourself lucky. Bunnies like her _very rarely_ feel close to people, especially ones who are new around them."

"Do you think that staying near the bunny for a good portion of the night and the morning made it easier?"

"Eh? You took care of it that long?"

"No, I was looking for it in the room. She's really good at hiding," Louise said, a little both miffed and proud from her rabbit's ability to just "vanish". "Well, at least that's over, now I can think about teaching her tricks, but I don't know how…"

"Erm, if you'd like, I can teach you. My family had pets of varying degrees, and we happened to have a bunny once."

Louise turned her eyes to Siesta with hope swelling in her chest. She noted that the maid seemed to have felt her doom, as she'd notice the latter hastily stood up. _Oh no, you don't!_ Unfortunately, Louise was a smart girl. She quickly leaned forward and grabbed the maid by her arms. Her oddly steely grip had locked the poor commoner in place, and brought her closer to the young mage.

"Please, teach me!" she said with surprising zeal. The sense of victory Louise felt couldn't be described when she saw that Siesta could only nod nervously at her.

"Alright. First, let me just go grab a few things from the kitchen, okay?" Siesta pleaded. Louise gave her a steeled look before slowly nodding her head. It seemed like the message was delivered to the maid, who slowly paled. There was no escaping this anymore, it seems.

* * *

 **Siesta**

When Siesta entered the kitchen and started slicing up some carrots, she quickly realized something: _I have been robbed of my nap time!_ A sigh escaped her lips. This was not how Siesta had planned to spend her afternoon. She wanted to take a nap in the afternoon; after all, it was one of those very rare days when there was nearly nothing to do for a commoner like her, and she dearly wanted to partake in her hobby. The more experienced ones of her field are the people taking care of all the preparations needed to receive the Princess from the palace. It had been rather interesting to see the chef take to new heights of devotion in the kitchen, and went as far as preparing most of the meals by his lonesome. However, she really did question the need to prepare for a grand feast and welcoming for the princess. Then again, she had to admit that being exposed to a princess who hadn't cared much about her title really changed her perspective about royalty. _I guess that's one downside to being able to keep up with Mipha's whims.._. She might need to reconsider her views again, considering that Mipha and the current princess of Tristain were two completely different individuals. She didn't know anything about the latter princess, and it would be rude of her to presume that she was the same as Mipha. She simply couldn't continue her life with the mindset that every noble would be as kind and generous as Mipha, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha.

She didn't wish for another Mott Scandal to occur.

The knife hitting the cutting board came to a full stop, and the noise it made felt like it echoed in the room for Siesta. A dark chill went down her spine when she remembered those haunting eyes of that damnable count. She felt her breathe hitch, and her blood began to quicken. Panic settled down on her frame as she dropped the knife she was holding and started clutching the sides of her arms. Time around her slowed to a crawl, as if the world was prolonging her agony. Unlike the others, she was the one who still hadn't managed to successfully move on, and who dared to blame her? She could feel the sensations of those horrible tendrils act up once again, violating the most sanction parts of her body. Her virginity had still remained intact, but the same could not be said for the other hole. Tears started to streak down her eyes as she'd tried to fight against the sensation. Her knees collapsed and caused her to drop on the floor. She dearly forced herself to remember the scene of Mipha and the pinkette coming to her rescue with the other nobles in tow. She _remembered_ the _courage_ she felt when she was venturing through the halls of the manor while knowing fully well of the horrors that were laid underneath her. Most of all: she remembered how she bit that fucker's dick off like it was a sausage from that weird sausage festival that was hosted in her village. That moment was such an empowering moment for her, and remembering it broke the dark spell casted upon her. It was a very slow agonizing process, but she knew that it was working. The time around her resumed to normal, and she immediately caught her breath. She could feel that she was drenched with sweat as she'd struggled to stand up from her position. A weary sighed escaped her lips, and she quickly tried to think of other news that would give the more positive events from that experience.

To help with that even more, she started chopping the carrots with the imagination that they were countless Mott dicks waiting to be slaughtered.

She heard from hearse later on and not too long ago that the count was actually _being_ tortured in the dungeon; remembering that knowledge had brought a smile to the brunette's face. She had avenged the blonde, even though her actions had only been indirect. Even though she had done the best she could in that time, she still felt inadequate about herself. She wanted to learn how to defend herself, and stop depending on other people. She felt frail under the hands of the count, and she dared _not_ to feel that emotion once again. It was a complete contrast to her personality who'd be too lazy to even do anything, but Siesta welcomed the change. If the Siesta of before saw what she was doing right now, she was sure that her past self would gawk at her and believe that her future self would have been possessed by something.

Maybe, she should learn the way of the sword?

Siesta shook her head, and focused her attention again at the task at hand: to help Louise train her adorable bunny. Now _that_ put a bigger smile on her face, as she put another carrot on the knife board and started chopping it up. The bunny had been scared of her at first as well, but gradually warmed up to her when she sat down on the grass unmoving to let the bunny feel comfortable around her. It was rather odd, to be honest, that the bunny seemed to be entirely capable to quickly determine if someone was harmless or not. While it obviously ran from the direction where the other familiars were, signifying its timid nature, it seemed to have no qualms with Siesta around. Maybe it was because of the fact the two were kindred spirits?

 _Ah, this must be enough_ , Siesta thought as she appraised the bite-sized carrots she had chopped up for Louise to treat the bunny with. A nod came not too long later, and she started to place them all on a tray. She turned to the clock at the wall, and she _blinked_ when she saw the time.

"Wait, I've only been in here for 5 minutes?" She mumbled to herself. Maybe her fit this time wasn't as bad as the previous ones.

Maybe she should start imagining chopping more dicks off in the future?

 _No, that's just silly,_ she reprimanded herself. She took the platter on one hand, and carefully put a lid on top so it wouldn't spill. She started her trek back to the courtyard, all the while taking a bit of a small rush in order not to displease the pinkette any further. She'll admit though that she was more worried about the bunny. _Founder knows what's been happening there since I've been gone._ She wouldn't be surprised if the bunny had run off from the pinkette. When she caught sight of the two just staring at each other, a sweat dropped from her temple. _Have they really spent the past five minutes staring at each other like that?_

She wished to break the tension and she quickened her pace. When the pinkette noticed her, a scowl greeted the maid and she flinched.

"What took you so long?" the pinkette inquired. Siesta didn't know how to answer that question. Instead, she settled to present the tray on her hand instead.

"I've been cutting up carrots for treats." The pinkette raised an eyebrow.

"Treats? What for?"

"For the bunny, silly. If you wish to train her well, you must present her rewards so it knows it's doing something right!" Siesta said. The bunny turned to Siesta when she said that, and its eyes were eyeing the tray she held in her hand. She found it rather strange that the small critter was capable of recognizing what she held in her hand, or was it because the bunny was just curious?

"Wha- doesn't punishing it work just as well- wait, no of course it won't, hm." The pinkette put on a serious expression which caused the maid to blink. She knew of the pinkette's struggles of rectifying her behaviour towards commoners as of late, but didn't think that the same would actually translate over to animals. To hear the spitfire cut herself off with her own sentence was somewhat endearing for the maid. Truly, Louise was doing her best not only proving her worth in the academy, but also to become a better person. "Okay, how do I do it?" Seeing the pinkette motivated, Siesta couldn't help but return the gesture with kind. _I never would have thought my country bumpkin knowledge would be used to help a noble._

"Well, we can teach her a very basic trick which is turning around in a circle!"

"Will that be showy enough to win for the upcoming contest though?" the pinkette asked with a scowl on her face. Siesta just rolled her eyes from the remark.

"Pish-posh, we already have one princess' approval, isn't that enough?" Siesta said while looking very unbothered. However, in the inside, the maid was celebrating because she finally got to say one of the very few words she'd always wanted to try saying out loud from her novels! Louise, on the other hand, had no real answer for that. She just slowly opened and closed her mouth before sighing in frustration.

"I suppose, but it is the Crown Princess of Tristain…" Louise continued to mumble. Siesta tilted her head at Louise. She had never seen the pinkette look this troubled before. Well, correction, she _had_ , and a troubled Louise was a very frantic Louise.

She didn't want to be on the spitting edge of the spitfire again.

"Uhm, if you don't mind me asking, why do you seem to be so concerned about showing off enough for the princess' sake?" Siesta asked. Louise looked at her, and Siesta noted that she looked very conflicted. She let the pinkette take her time to register the question and answer it on her own accord, all the while keeping the tray away from a very curious bunny who was inching towards her.

"It's the Crown Princess, you know? Anyone would want to wish to impress her. Getting her approval is like _instant_ celebrity status here," Louise said. It was at that point that Siesta immediately understood why Louise felt the need to compete. While the pinkette would never admit it, even to herself, she had one extreme inferiority complex. While that had been remedied with the fact she was now capable of using magic, Siesta could notice that, once in a while, the pinkette would fall into one of her moods. If only those moods were to lessen. It wasn't her fault that she was naturally gifted in the chest compartment!

"But doesn't a princess acknowledge you already? I mean, isn't Mipha a foreign princess? She's even helped you develop your footwork, taught you to fight without magic, and _taught_ you magic for the past months!"

"I know, and I'm forever grateful to her, but it's just…"

"Just?"

A sigh escaped Louise's mouth.

"It's personal. My family has always been tied with protecting the Crown, especially my mother who swore her loyalty to the Queen and protected her. I have some expectations to live up to, and I fear that this bunny won't cut it. Now, a situation is being presented to me where I can prove my worth to be the next one who'll take up the mantle of protecting the Crown like my mother has once done, and all I could provide is… some parlour tricks with a bunny."

"A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E parlour tricks, Louise," Siesta said as she'd reached out to pat the head of the girl. After all, Louise was just at the same age as Siesta, yet the poor teenager had plenty of problems to carry. Siesta could _somehow_ understand where Louise was coming from. She had read _plenty_ of novels from Kirche to sympathize with Louise after all!

Though, she'll never admit that to anyone. She'd rather die than blurt out that she was learning how to sympathize with people through risqué novels.

"Well, everyone starts out from nothing. Besides, the bunny isn't even your true familiar, is it not? It's Mipha, right, but you're trying to protect her from the complicated stuff you guys were talking about." For the life of Siesta, she would never understand complicated things. She couldn't understand why it was a bad thing to have a noble serve another, and why Elves were feared among the humans. From what little history she learned thanks to Tabitha's books, she found out that Elves were actually pretty harmless until the Founder declared them to be so. Heck, there wasn't even a mention of Elves in the human history until the discovery of magic being usable for humans. _Wait, that's not the point right now_. She shook her head, and continued to comfort the pinkette. She brushed Louise's head, who looked annoyed from the action. "For me, I think that's noble enough that you're doing your best to protect the princess. If the Crown Princess learned of your situation and what you're doing, then I think she'll praise you for it." Louise stared at the maid with some semblance of acceptance, before she slowly nodded her head.

 _That's why you haven't revealed to anyone that she's an elf, right?_ Fortunately, the last sentence didn't leave Siesta's mouth. She didn't think it was right to pile up more on Louise's plate. She had only recently discovered that Mipha was an elf during the often times that she had hid the princess in her room from her suitors while Louise and the others were in class. She had let the princess take a nap on her bed, and it was during the process of taking her crown off had she noticed the pointed ears. Honestly, it was just odd that no one had ever noticed the pointed ears that Mipha had. Then again, the princess had always chosen seclusion and always ran from attention. She only recently came out again in the open after the incident with Mott, so she could enjoy some time with Siesta and the others. There were no notable times to notice the princess' ears, and her flowing red hair had always managed to cover the most of it. If anything, people would be too drawn at staring at her beautifully ornate modified crown that dripped to the sides of her head instead of the ears.

Still, she might need to suggest to the princess to wear something else that could hide her ears. Maybe they should pay another visit to the tailor in town? That's a thought to be used for later.

"Anyway, for now, I think you should just enjoy yourself. One of the joys to partake in while training your pets is watching them learn. Trust me, it's a really endearing process to watch."

"I'll… take you up on your suggestion. So, what do I do?"

"First~" Siesta said with a bit of a hum and took the lid off the tray. It revealed several bite-sized carrots for the bunny to enjoy during the training. "You take one of these," she said as she offered them to Louise. The pinkette nodded and gingerly took a piece out. Siesta took one as well and held it with her thumb, middle and index fingers. Once the piece in Siesta's fingers got the bunny's attention, the maid gently closed the tray again. She set the tray down on the grassy floor, and slowly put the treat in front of the bunny.

"If you want to train them, you need to lead them. By doing this," she said as she noticed the bunny inch closer to the treat as if it wanted it. Then, she made a small gesture of her index finger by slowly raising it off the treat, and gently led the carrot closer to the bunny's face. The bunny followed the carrot, even when Siesta started to slowly move her hand around the bunny. When the bunny had stopped on its previous position again, Siesta let out a soft click with her tongue and let the bunny eat the carrot. She nodded happily and gestured for Louise to do the same.

"What was for the tongue click by the end?"

"Ah, that's to help your bunny know that she's doing something right! You don't make the noise if she does it wrong," Siesta said. The pinkette nodded, and took her turn to train the bunny next. She tried to repeat what she had seen Siesta do, but this time the bunny just managed to take the bite-sized piece from Louise's fingers in the middle of her turning.

"Ah, so I don't click my tongue here, right?"

Siesta nodded.

"And I'm guessing I take out another trick until she learns to do it herself... But what about the finger flick thing at the beginning?"

"Ah, that's a gesture to imprint in your bunny's mind to know what to do. If you want to teach it to go the other way, you use your other hand."

This time, Louise nodded. "Alright, give me another treat, I'll try to give it another go!" She said with some joy entering her features.

Siesta smiled, and presented the tray to Louise once more. Maybe, spending the afternoon with her like this wasn't so bad.

* * *

 **Louise**

In the end, Louise never got to ask Kirche and Tabitha for help in disguising her familiar. She spent too much time, and returned to her room that night feeling completely exhausted, yet very fulfilled in her endeavour. She can just ask Tabitha in the morning to somehow magically enhance the bunny before the performance. There was a bright smile on her face as she carefully walked up the stairs with her bunny not too far behind. With the help of Siesta, she had managed to teach her bunny six tricks. The routine was fairly simple to do, and she was actually very excited to perform it. While, surely, it wasn't as showy as the other ones in the competition, it was still something that she was very proud of. She had fun with Siesta and the bunny during the training, and she was certain that she'll have even more fun performing it. Who knew that training pets could be so exciting? She had even taken her time going up the stairs in order to see how her bunny would do it. Though, seeing that it was tired, she gestured for the bunny to jump to her arms. She spread her arms, and the bunny immediately jumped at her chest. That only served to improve her mood, especially once she noticed that the bunny was nudging her hand. She'd have to remind herself to bring the bunny a treat for doing a trick well done.

 _Hm, maybe I should give her a name?_ Originally, they had planned to release the critter back into the wild after the short performance, but now she felt reluctant to do so. She had grown attached to the white fluff, and the same could be said for the little thing. _She is really white._ She began listing off names on the top of her head for the little thing. She wished to be creative with her naming sense, unlike a certain Germanian who named her Salamander "Flame", because it spouted, well, _flames_. Then again, Louise was never the creative type. Once her feet had led her to the door of her room, she gently put her bunny down to the floor, and turned the knob. The door opened with a slight creak, and the bunny hopped inside the room the moment it had opened enough for her. Louise chuckled at that, but that stopped once she saw the room was dark. Her bright demeanour changed into worry. _Is Mipha still feeling sick?_ She hastily entered the room and softly shut the door behind her in order not to disturb the princess. When she turned back again to look at her room, she blinked when she noticed the target of her worry. There were no candles lit up, yet from what little she could said thanks to the moonlight, she could somehow make out the shape of the sole habitant in her room. The red head was sat there in front of Louise's study table, and seemed to be writing something down. Her worry lessened into confusion instead, as she just stared at her familiar and waited for her reaction. The princess wasn't obviously paying attention as she seemed to be _engrossed_ with whatever she was writing down on a piece of paper.

"Mipha?" Louise called out. The princess just continued writing onto the paper, as if she was in a trance. That only caused the pinkette to frown. Now that she stared at the princess a little more, she realized something that only caused her confusion to grow into shock and no small amounts of horror.

"Mipha!" she shrieked as she immediately rushed towards the red head. That seemed to have gotten a reaction out of the princess who literally jumped to her feet and whirled around with her pen still in hand.

"Oh, dear Nayru, it was just you Louise. Please, do not scare me like that," she said as she visibly inhaled a few breaths to calm herself down. Louise looked bewildered by the red head's actions, but took note that her voice sounded more nasally than usual.

"Scare you? You scare me! J-just why is your hair tied up like that?" Louise asked as she'd pointed at the red head's hair- the cause of the pinkette's distress. Unlike Mipha's usual low ponytail, it seemed that the princess had decided to tie her hair up like a normal high ponytail for who knows what reason. While Louise was certainly not nit-picky with hairstyles, the red head's current style caused several alarms to go off in the young mage's head. For example, what would happen if someone waltzed into the room and caught sight of Mipha's elvish-looking ears? That was one issue she didn't wish to face, and she certainly wasn't ready just _how_ to explain to the entirety of Tristain that her familiar wasn't an elf. Mipha frowned from the pinkette's statement and twirled the loose hair in front of her face.

"I guess this really doesn't suit me…"

"Yes it does! I mean, no, just, argh! That's not the issue here. Your ears, they're showing!" While the pinkette could admit that the high ponytail hairstyle fit Mipha well, in fact _too_ well, she just couldn't simply accept letting the princess look like this. The ears will draw issue, and Founder knows how much Louise didn't wish to deal with anything close to that.

"My ears…? Ah!" Mipha reacted by quickly covering them with her hands and rushing over to their shared wardrobe. She quickly pulled out some ear muffs, possibly a part of an outfit from what the little tailor had given them, and put them on.

".. How are you going to hear me now, then?" Louise grumbled as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight on one foot. As much as she loved Mipha and didn't wish to pressure the princess, this event wasn't something she could just allow to slip past. The princess was _painfully_ obvious in not being able to hear her, and just stood there while looking confused. Fortunately, the princess was bright. She had at least the decency to feel embarrassed, and slowly removed her ear muffs. Louise stared at the princess, until the latter finally decided to just pull her hairband off instead. Her red and white hair cascaded down to her knees, and Louise nodded in approval. Though she could see some bits of her ears sticking out, they were all still mostly covered. Anyone would easily miss those due to Mipha's unnaturally yellow eyes. They would sooner question those instead of the ears. "So? What lead you to actually tying your hair up to reveal your ears? Are you _trying_ to do something here, have you forgotten what I told you, or how I reacted to your ears when I first saw them?" she asked though she wasn't exactly asking for an answer. Her mouth was already open again to reprimand the princess further, but she was beaten to it by a soft voice that came from the princess' mouth.

"I was feeling hot, so I tied my hair up to cool myself?" was the princess' weak reply. Mipha looked so meek at that point that Louise actually felt guilty, and thought against reprimanding Mipha any further. A sigh escaped the pinkette's lips. Maybe she could still reprimand the princess, but not with the same intensity as the one she had thought of earlier. Mipha _was_ sick too, so maybe she went along her action without realizing the consequences well.

"I swear, you're really oblivious sometimes. Just let me know or wear something that will hide your ears the next time this happens," Louise caved in. Fortunately, that seemed to be the right choice of action as the princess before her brightened.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. It seems that I should've just stayed in bed to rest a little more," said the princess. She looked like she was reflecting, so Louise thought that counted as her win. However, Mipha's last statement got Louise back to feeling worried for the red head.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she'd approached the princess and pressed her palm against her forehead. Fortunately, it wasn't burning as much as it had earlier, but it was still definitely hot enough to consider a slight fever.

"I'm definitely feeling much better compared to this morni-" When Louise saw the princess was about to sneeze, she tactfully turned away and went to grab the tissue box. A loud sneeze echoed in the room, and the pinkette flinched from it.

"It's just this cold's bothering me now," Mipha continued with a softer voice.

"I see. You should go get some rest then," Louise said as she walked back to the red head with the tissue box in hand. She noticed that the poor princess was covering her lower face with her hand, and seemed to refuse removing it from there. The bright blush on her face told the pinkette everything she needed to know. She gently offered the tissue box to Mipha, who nodded to her gratefully and took a few tissues and began wiping her hand and face. She watched as she wrapped the used tissues with an unused one before gently curling it up to a ball.

"Yes, I suppose I should," Mipha said as she'd walked towards her bed and nonchalantly tossed the rolled tissues into the bin next to it. Louise thought that the ball would most likely miss, especially with the distance Mipha had thrown it from. It was a slight surprise to her that the ball had easily gone in the bin and it had landed right in its center too.

"You're really good at that."

The princess simply shrugged her shoulders in response, and sat on the bed. "I've had all day to practice, so it wasn't that hard to miss. Ah, speaking of practice… Louise, are you ready for a lesson?"

Louise blinked. "Wait, now? But you're ill, I don't want to push you any further-"

"Ah, don't worry. I've written the lesson proper on that paper over there, so you can just read it. I won't use magic during this lesson, don't worry, I just want to see the results and see if I can change it up a bit," Mipha said as she'd gestured at the mage's study table. The pinkette's eyes roamed over to the pointed direction. _Mipha was writing something earlier, wasn't she?_ She noticed the papers haphazardly placed all over it, and some books stacked on one another. She blinked when she saw a language book among the magic theory books. She walked closer to the study table, and saw one paper that had stood out of the rest. Unlike the others, the paper was cleaner with no ink stains all over it. There was also the easiest way to tell that it was the one she had to read: the text on it was written in Tristain's language compared to the other papers. While still rather crude in writing, it was still coherent.

 _Oh, that explains the language book._

"Ah, okay," was all the pinkette's reply, her scholarly curiosity had taken control of anything else. She took the paper offered on her hand, and her eyes began to roam the text:

 _Magic is usually considered to be the realization of a phenomenon. There are conditions that must be met, and with enough intimate knowledge with how the elements work, we can "realize" the phenomenon. However, how does one realize the phenomenon? How can we_ perceive _the phenomenon? In our previous topics, I have discussed to you the "Science" of the elements, and where they came from. Fire is created out of extreme heat, water is produced from the cycling of temperatures between air and liquid, wind exists everywhere around us even in the deepest caverns, and earth is created by the combination of rocks, elements, and other formations we perceive. By knowing all of this, we've managed to control your explosions and successfully enabled you to use other spells- your [Levitation] and [Fireball] for example. However, there is one thing that I have noticed with this. The phenomenon being described by the spell theories all rely on the four elements- but never the fifth._

At this point, Louise froze at that statement. Her jaw had dropped, and she slowly turned her head to Mipha, who nodded at her very slowly. It seemed like the princess had expected her reaction. Colbert's words echoed in her head, and her heart began racing from both anticipation and fear.

 _ **You are a Void User, Vallière.**_

"Are- are you suggesting that I try _Void Magic_ , the very magic used by the _Founder himself?!"_ Louise ended up shouting, scandalized by the very thought that she _dared_ try the fifth magic. Mipha only simply stared at Louse, and her hand gestured for Louise to continue reading on. Louise gritted her teeth, and turned her attention back to the text.

 _For the entire day, I've been thinking about this. I'm certain that you have found out on our own that magic can be powered by how we imagine it together with the knowledge we know, but let me admit this to you: you've been using your knowledge wrong. The things that I have imparted to you shouldn't have been capable of doing the things your spells have done. Your [Air Shield] is different as you simply dismantle any spell that comes close to you rather than actually block it using the winds. Your [Fireball] shouldn't have been that destructive, nor should it have been capable of moving in the speed of light. Your [Levitation] has no presence of the wind around it, and instead, you are actually_ controlling the gravity _of the object you're levitating. There is something more at work with your magic, Louise, more than you've ever thought, and I have a nagging feeling that Tabitha suspects this as well._

Each and every single point Mipha had made only hardened the fact that Louise have pushed back on the furthest corners of her mind. She could feel her heart pounding against her head, and her hands started to shake. She gave a glance to Mipha, and saw that the princess had a complex reaction. She was presenting a comforting expression for Louise to see, but the pinkette could see it cramping due to possibly the reaction that was currently on the latter's face. The young mage closed her eyes, and let her breathing stabilize first. She let the subtle breeze of the night air caress her skin, and she tried to feel the gentle moonlight that illuminated the room. Once she felt that she had calmed down enough, she continued to read.

 _I will admit this to you, Louise. Back in my world, our magic was more complex. We had more destructive elements and spells, so much so that every race has decided to ban magic to avoid certain doom. We had magic that breaches the world of gods, and technology that_ breathes life _into constructs. However, it was thanks to these that we have learned more about magic, more than we wished to. Now, we shall do the same with the fifth. I have combed through these books on top of your desk in search of the Void Magic, and found none pertaining to it other than it was a "fifth" element. Fortunately, I have a vague idea of what it does, and it's got something to do with the scientific concepts I taught you about. Now, I wish for you to apply one concept I'll be teaching you now. Louise, have you ever thought to stop and ask how we can see the things around us?_

The question caught Louise by surprise, and frowned on it. She had never entertained the question, and neither did her former teachers. While she had been taught basic biology that they use the eyes to perceive things even in darkness, that was it.

 _When I was studying with my fellow princess, the two of us discovered that maybe, perceiving things in the world weren't as simple as we originally thought. Our eyes aren't simple enough to just see something and transmit it to our minds. If that was the case, then we should be able to completely see through the darkness. This leads us to believe that we use light to aid our eyes. If we manage to control the light enough to be able to trick our eyes, then we can have people see what we want them to see. This also explains the phenomenon of being able to see things that weren't there, why several sailors tell tales of ghost ships on the horizon._

Louise's eyes widened with what Mipha was suggesting. As she was about to continue reading, she felt something _snap_ inside her. An unnerving calmness swept her body and she felt the grip on her consciousness began to fade. _W-what's happening?! Why can't I control my body?_ She could see her body move on its own and grabbed the wand on her hip. Her body turned around sharply and pointed the wand at the bunny that seemed to be staring at the wand curiously. _No, no, no, no, what am I doing?! What's happening?_ Louise panicked in her mind, but her body hadn't expressed such. On the corner of her eye, she saw Mipha yelp, and the runes on her hand lit up and climbed up her arms as if they were alive and relocating. Her mouth began to move from unspoken words, and she saw the tip of her wand began to glow a bright white. Before she could truly make sense of what was happening, her vision was shrouded in white for the briefest minute. By the time her vision returned, she had still been standing in her room, and, _dear Founder,_ she was _exhausted_. Whatever she had done had drained her of her stamina, and, to her shock, even some of her Willpower. Her legs gave up on her as she sat down on the floor. In the process, her eyes landed on the bunny that was fortunately unharmed and was currently moving from place to place out of boredom. She quickly turned her sights to Mipha next, and saw the princess was still conscious and bewildered with what just happened. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, knowing that the two occupants in her room were safe.

"Louise! Are you okay?" the princess asked her as she approached the pinkette, but kept her distance. Fortunately, the young mage could tell that the distance wasn't out of fear, but out of worry that the latter might catch her cold. She nodded tiredly at Mipha. She closed her eyes and sighed out of relief. _Thank Founder, nothing bad happened_. She opened her eyes again to see the bunny had settled on a spot to sleep on, but she felt her body freeze again once she saw that something new had been added to her bunny. She blinked her eyes several times just to make sure she wasn't seeing wrongly, but such wasn't the case. She had to take some time to realize what she was seeing on her bunny's forehead.

There were runes engraved on it.

"Uhm, Louise," a soft voice called out to her. That got the mage out of her stupor, and she turned her attention to the other person in the room. Said person had apparently taken her top off during Louise's stupor, and was currently blushing up a storm. "Why are the runes on the top of where my heart should be? Better yet, why are they glowing?" Louise blinked at the question before she stared at the runes that were glowing on Mipha's chest.

The pinkette didn't know the answers to Mipha's questions either.

* * *

 **Anyway, how was the chapter? Was it good? Was it exciting? Let us know!**


	14. TWA: Arrival

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter!**

 **Happy Holidays everyone! Sorry this chapter took some time to put out, Crowe and I had a fun outing with our families today. Crowe waited for me to arrive home so we could read and reply to your reviews together. Thankfully, this chapter won't have much triggering stuff, which is a first after the past chapters!**

 **Before we get to the reviews, we would like to thank all of our followers and people who are always in tuned with the chapters we put out. It really surprises us that this fanfiction is still gets followers no matter how long the period in between we post the chapters. Once again, thank you so much for taking some time out of your lives to read just a chapter of this story. It really means a lot to us, thank you!**

 **Now, let's get to the reviews~**

* * *

 **IHateGenericCereal, thank you for your** **loyalty in** **reading the story, and leaving a feedback! Indeed, we're trying to mix some science here with magic because, according to FoZ Lore, Void Magic is supposed to be "a branch breaking between Science and Magic". So, expect some more of that stuff soon!**

 **ultima-owner, thank you for your loyalty in reading, and leaving feedbacks! And nope, not the bunny. It was just a coincidence in our part hahaha.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn, thank you for your loyalty in reading, and leaving feedbacks! Indeed, that was Louise using Mipha's life forceT You'll get to see one weak side-effect of it here now actually. Read to find out!**

 **Truemmerphantom, thank you for your** **loyalty in** **reading the story, and leaving a feedback! Truly, we do wonder about the first one~ However, for the second part, we'd happily answer that question. The reallocation of Mipha's runes to where they should rightfully belong is a turning point to _this_ fanfic. Stuff is about to get real now, and you'll know what I mean by the end of this chapter.**

 **The Dark Hour,** **thank you for your loyalty in reading, and leaving feedbacks! Ahahaha, you'll see more of their bickering for the next two or three chapters. Really depends on how we feel if we should move the plot forward or have the characters develop for extra feels later on in the story. Ah, for Louise being 2 mages at once, sadly, that was just a coincidence we made. However, for the four familiars, we do have something planned for this. You once did ask if we have more BoTW content coming right? Well, you're about to have some ;)**

 **Manah Scarlet Shadowsong, thank you for reading and leaving a feedback! We apologize if it seemed a bit too much, even we felt sick when we wrote that part of the chapter down. However, we also wanted to portray it as realistic as possible, and what would've happened if the characters were truer to their desires. Still, thank you for reading the chapters nevertheless!**

 **chao-hellsing, thank you for reading and leaving a feedback! We're glad to know that you're enjoying the story so far, we hope you continue to enjoy the following chapters as well! This is the chapter when the story will take off to becoming its own sort of independent story, do look forward to that! Also, yes, you're correct that it's hellsing(and honestly, we sort of expected you'd get it by just your name xD)**

 **flo463,** **thank you for your loyalty in reading, and leaving feedbacks! Indeed, sometimes it's just truly frustrating when an anime adaption doesn't do its source material justice. For the matter of the runes controlling Saito, well, you'll be seeing that sometime soon. Mipha is actually affected by that the runes. The runes of Lifþrasir sort of intensified the feeling to serve Louise even more. For Mipha, it felt like normal because she had chosen to serve Louise in the first place before becoming a familiar. Sadly, Mipha hasn't acquired anything ahahahaha, you'll find out more as you read~**

 **Now without further adieu~**

* * *

 **Mipha**

The sun's rays flashed against Mipha's eyes which forced her to stir. Well, it wasn't like the princess had any sleep in the first place. The first thing Mipha noted was the _smell._ "Oh, dear, just, where does that smell come from?" she ended up speaking out loud as she'd sat up and stretched her arms. For the good news, her fever having _thankfully_ cured itself overnight. However, it seemed that her rest hadn't recovered her from her fatigue. She felt _tired_ , as if she had been running a marathon for the entire day. She decided to worry about her physical health, as well as the stench, for later. Instead, she thought about the recent developments. _Truthfully_ , she didn't know where to start with them. She turned her attention to the spot above her left chest, and saw that the runes there were still glowing. A frown donned her lips as she took her top off to inspect them. The runes that were once sat on top of her hand found its new home at the top of her left chest. The carvings seemed to bend and accentuate what little her breasts offered. The new placement of her runes was something that both irked her, and flattered her. At least now she could hide the runes, and perfectly perform her role as some sort of "foreign princess". The only problem would now lie in _where_ exactly her people were, and just _how_ she could stop the runes from lighting up. Though, she could think about the first problem on another time. She turned to the sleeping pinkette, albeit a little restless from what Mipha could tell. Then again, Louise seemed to sleep with her eyebrows furrowed all the time, so she really didn't know that much.

A sudden weight shifted on her lap brought her attention to the other occupant on the room. It was the bunny, and the small critter was currently nuzzling her head against her belly. Giggles escaped her lips as the soft hairs had tickled her; that reminded her that she was currently topless. She reached out for her top and put it on, the bunny having left her lap as she did so. She watched her do her rounds around the room, and the princess' eyes dragged over to the bunny's forehead. _They're still there, huh._ There were the pair of runes that were identical to hers currently carved on the bunny's forehead. Its sudden appearance had caused both her and her master a plethora of problems. Louise was going on and on about how she was going to be excommunicated for having summoned _two_ familiars. It took everything in Mipha's mental fortitude then to get the pinkette to calm down. The next problem came in the form that neither party knew just what happened, and the pinkette had apparently blanked out when she casted her spell.

That fact had worried Mipha incredibly.

However, at least they could take some form of comfort to know that unlike the actual runes carved unto her, she felt the runes on the bunny's forehead seemed to be uniquely magical in nature. It was as if they were simply there because they were being held up by magic, and nothing more. It would certainly explain why, at some intervals, the runes seemed to disappear on its own before reappearing again. At least they wouldn't need to write ink on the bunny now, or something just as bad. "Ah, it's doing that again," she found herself speaking as she saw the bunny turn away from her, and, from the mirror, saw the runes on her forehead flicker. _It was as if she needs to face me so the runes would appear solidly on her… head._ Her thoughts trailed off as she stared blankly at the bunny. She slowly blinked as if the realization was just hitting her then.

 _Wait, so what's basically on the bunny's forehead is a mirror image of the runes on my chest!_ She happily stood on her feet and approached the bunny, eager to test her hypothesis. The bunny heard the movement, and turned her adorable self to face Mipha. The princess saw the runes once again slowly appear on the bunny's forehead, as if solidifying her discovery. "Now, at least that would explain why my runes are glowing; that is in order for the image to hold itself by having a proper reference!" she spoke her thoughts; the enthusiasm in her speech rivalled a certain _Hylian_ Princess when she discovered just exactly where the Guardian Arrows shot by Guardians came from. She raised her hand to cover the bunny's sight from her runes, and, true to her discovery, the runes on the bunny's forehead seemed to flicker and turn unstable. _So, it wasn't as if Louise gained a new familiar, she's just casting some sort of mirage on the bunny!_ A truly relieved sigh escaped her lips. At least now the pinkette had one concern she wouldn't need to worry about. _So, in the end, it was just a normal spell. Although, can I even count this as normal?_ What Louise has done only solidified the fact that she was a _Void_ Mage. This was an information that the two of them have agreed on to not to just disclose to anyone else before the two went to bed. They couldn't just let the world know that, out of nowhere, a _child_ was capable of using the very magic of the "Founder". They would be targeted and kept watch at all times, perhaps even a small chance of being assassinated or branded as heretics. Being targeted would also bring attention to her, and most likely mistake her race as an elf. That would only escalate the situation for them, and that was something that the two desperately wanted to avoid.

A groan snapped Mipha from her thoughts, and she turned her attention to the other person in the room. Louise had woken up from her sleep, and she looked as if she didn't get enough of it. Her pink mane was messy and thrown all over the place, and her eyes were still closed even though she was sat up. A yawn escaped her master's lips, and seeing that action, so did Mipha. As the princess yawned, a small part of her mind wondered why Hylians had such a reaction if they see other people yawn. "Morning," Louise mumbled as she slipped off her bed. The princess mumbled back in greeting before she let the pinkette gather her faculties. It took a while, so while she let the pinkette do so, she played with the bunny for a while. As she'd watched the bunny hop around her and bump her head on her hands before hopping off again, she heard Louise finally speak for the first time in that morning. "The runes are still on her forehead, huh. Ugh, my mom is going to kill me." A dry smile entered Mipha's lips when she heard that statement. She knew for a fact that Louise hadn't a good relation with her family.

"Well, if it's any comfort, I'm happily reporting that I have just discovered what the runes are on top of her forehead," Mipha suggested as she'd pointed at the bunny to make the pinkette's morning less stressful. The reaction was rather comical as she'd watched the pinkette slowly blink at her. The princess chuckled. It reminded her that Louise wasn't a morning person at all. It only had been her compliance to the princess' training that gave the mage a sense of urgency during the mornings. It seemed like after discovering that Mipha had a fever, her body reverted to its former state or something. "Really?" She had finally answered after a few seconds of silence. Mipha nodded, and gestured at the runes on top of her chest. "The spell you casted last night put some sort of image on the top of the bunny's forehead. The image on top of it is actually a reflection of the runes on my chest, which is why they're glowing!" Louise blinked at Mipha again, slowly processing the information. "But there's no spell like that though? And what element would that even be?"

"It's a spell of your make, Louise. Whatever happened to you last night gave birth to this. For its element, I do believe that the answer is something that's already known to you, Louise," she said with a graver tone by the end. It seemed that the last sentence had flipped some sort of switch inside the pinkette as a serious demeanour had surfaced from within.

"… I see. The Void, huh," she said as Mipha could only watch her sadly as the pinkette stabilized her breathing. The princess walked away from her bed in favour of sitting next to the pinkette. It was during her small walk that she was reminded how _tired_ she was. Every step felt like she was about to collapse. She was thankful she managed to pull through. She didn't wish to tire Louise any further than she already was. She gently engulfed the pinkette in a hug, rubbing her arms in a sisterly fashion. Truly, Louise reminded Mipha of Sidon sometimes. "Hm, what should we name the spell I made then?" The sudden acceptance caused Mipha to stare at Louise incredulously. A dry smile cracked on her lips as she'd nodded at the red head. "You were expecting me to panic, weren't you?" Nervous chuckles left Mipha's mouth. Indeed, the princess had been expecting the pinkette to have some sort of violent reaction. Though, she supposed this kind of reaction was certainly better. "There's no use denying it now. No, denying it would only sully the gift the Founder gave me." Mipha nodded at Louise's words, although very irked by the mentioning of the "Founder". She never found herself to like Brimir after all. "Well, before we name it, how does it work?"

"Ah, well, you do remember that we need light in order to see things, right? I believe that your spell makes use of that fact. If I cover my runes-" Mipha cut her sentence then, and decided to show it to Louise instead. Examples were more convincing than words when trying to describe a phenomenon. She raised her hand once again to cut the bunny's vision of her runes, and the two watched as the carvings started to flicker. Mipha pressed her hand on top of the markings, and soon the carved text disappeared from the bunny's forehead. A bright smile decorated Mipha's face when she saw it happen. She then turned to look at the pinkette's face as she'd put her hand down on the side. The princess giggled when she saw the shocked reaction on Louise's face. "Then that happens. Louise, I do believe that your spell is something that copies what it can see. It's like some sort of mirror. Here, if I turn around from the bunny as well, the runes disappear," Mipha said as she'd twisted her body to face backwards. A gasp from her side let her realize that the pinkette saw what happened, and she nodded sagely. She turned again to see Louise with a tired expression on her face. The tired expression quickly grew to anger. Somewhere in Mipha's mind, the ex-Zora thought: _ah, here comes the outburst I've been waiting for._

"You know, I spent the entire night thinking and dreading, even in my sleep for Founder's sake, about how I was supposed to deal with the backlash of having _two_ familiars. I was so scared about being executed, or even excommunicated, then _this?!_ The fact this spell wasn't something special in the first place is just both disappointing and _frustrating_! No, more importantly, how have we not discovered this last night? The answer was apparently _totally_ _obvious_!" the pinkette finally snapped despite her earlier calmer demeanour. It seemed like actually seeing the truth of her spell gave her more impact. Mipha didn't understand why, but she laughed at the pinkette's outburst. She saw the pinkette blush furiously from her laughter, most possibly in embarrassment. Mentally, Mipha apologized to her master. It might be due to her fatigue that made her laugh at her master's outburst. She eventually calmed herself down, but not without causing Louise to huff and cross her arms. The pout that was present on the pinkette's lips made her feel guilty about laughing. "Fine, laugh at me, see if I care," she said, turning her head to the side.

"Sorry, Louise. Your outburst was something I've been expecting, and you did not disappoint," the princess said as she'd bowed her head slightly. The pinkette sighed, and waved the princess off.

"So, I'm guessing that the reason why your runes are lighting up is so the bunny could see it even in the dark?" Mipha had to pause to think about that.

"U-uhm, perhaps? I've actually never thought about that," she said, trailing off.

"Well, now you should. You know, do that instead of laughing at me, and, more importantly, how do we turn this-" Louise said as she'd pointed at Mipha's runes- "Off?" That sent the red head into thinking once again. _Surely, the answer wouldn't be as simple as thinking about turning it off, right?_ Mipha was about to voice out her opinion when she saw the light of her runes flicker before they died down. A wave of _relief_ washed over her body and gave her a sudden boost in energy. As it happened, the ex-Zora's eyes had widened. _Was that spell responsible for making me feel so tired then?_ A bit of unease crept up inside the princess' mind. _This never happened before, not even her [Fireball] even remotely drained me._ The uncomfortable idea of Louise draining her energy just to use her spells worried her. _Maybe it's got something to do with her blanking out…?_ The princess shook her thoughts away. They already had plenty on their plate, with the exhibition about to happen in just a few hours. She should focus on something else, and, thankfully, the pinkette hadn't noticed her going , she wasn't the only one who had gone silent. "Uhm, Louise, what did you just do?" She asked the pinkette. For the mage's case, she looked more dumbfounded than worried or shocked by what happened.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I simply thought about it going away?"

"Wait, was it truly that simple?" Mipha found herself asking rather than giving an answer. A slow nod from the pinkette caused Mipha to sigh from amusement. "It seems like fate is conspiring against us, Louise," she joked. The pinkette rolled her eyes, and got off the bed. The princess watched the mage walk towards her desk and picked up a parchment. It seemed like she wished to be productive. Seeing that caused Mipha to chuckle as she'd decided to be productive as well. Without the fatigue stopping her anymore, she went towards the bunny. She wouldn't want the little critter hopping off underneath the drawers. The next few minutes were silent, until Mipha remembered something. "Ah, we hadn't named your new spell yet."

"We'll think about that later" came the swift reply of Louise. It seemed like it would be difficult to speak with her, as her eyes were practically glued to her desk. She was looking for an ink and a pen that was sadly covered due to the mess Mipha had made the night prior. The sight caused the princess to chuckle and feel a bit guilty. One thing at a time, she could respect that. Then, another question popped in her head.

"Ah, what about her name?" This time, Louise had stopped. The soft smile on Louise's face caused her to smile as well as she'd turned her attention back to Mipha.

"With all things considered… 'Mira' for 'miracle'."

Mipha couldn't stop the smile on her face from growing bigger.

"Okay, now strip."

Mipha blinked. She watched her master raise an eyebrow before gesturing at her chest. Mipha realized then that the only way for Louise to copy her runes was to strip down, since the spell was just dispelled. She felt extreme warmth on her cheeks as she hastily backpedalled away from her master. Memories from that tailor shop reminded her the last time she stripped for someone else. The looming form of Louise drawing closer to her only reminded her more about that little white haired girl.

"Uhm, Louise, maybe we could just make you cast your spell again?" She felt the fear grab her heart when she saw the _smile_ on Louise's face.

"And expend Willpower for it? What a waste." Mipha shrieked when she felt the iron grip the pinkette had on her shoulders. _NOT AGAIN!_ Mipha screamed in her thoughts as she was placed into the mercies of her master's hands.

* * *

 **Louise**

Louise had long finished writing the runes down, and left Mipha to her devices out of guilt. While, admittedly, she had fun teasing her as payback for the princess laughing at her outburst, she still felt like it had been slightly overboard to force her to strip. It seemed like the princess knew exactly what to do to fuel the guilt further when she reached out for Mira and began petting her with a defeated expression. She shivered when she saw this. _Mipha would be unstoppable with that expression of hers_. She yawned which caused her to intake a lot of air. However, as she did, she also smelled something off. If she could ever describe it well, it smelled like onion. Sadly, any further thought was cut off when she heard the door slam, and saw Colbert enter the room. His sudden intrusion caused the pinkette to automatically drop everything she had, and immediately went to grab her wand on reflex. Now, Louise completely understood that Colbert was her teacher; maybe the _only_ teacher who would tolerate her actions. However, the cases of every time someone had slammed the door open, had climbed through the windows, or had even peeked through the cracks, it had always been one of Mipha's stalkers that had done the deed. The tip of her tongue was already prepared to blast the professor with a [Fireball], but she fortunately managed to hold herself back. It really aided her to see the panicked expression on the professor's face, and actually _recognize_ it was her professor.

"M-miss Vallière, is Mipha here?" the bald professor asked, his breath ragged from what seemed to be a strenuous action to his aged body. His tone quivered slightly in fear, no doubt not wanting to be on the receiving edge of Louise's [Fireball]. It was then when Louise realized that she was still pointing her wand at her professor. She quickly pulled her wand back and set it down, before she gestured at the other occupant in the room. Mipha was similarly startled by the professor's appearance, but she looked more like a spooked cat in comparison to Louise. The pinkette smiled at her. It was good to see that Mipha had recovered from her fever. If she hadn't, Louise would've gone out of the academy to buy the princess ether for her troubles. The Crown Princess' visit be damned if her familiar wasn't going to get healthy any time soon. She blinked from her train of thought, before another worry befell her already worried mind. _Am I still loyal to Henrie- to the Princess?_ Admittedly, she hadn't seen the princess for a long time. The last time she ever saw the princess was when they were children, and, even then, her memories of her had been fuzzy. It had been the same case as her memories with her betrothed. With that reasoning, the logical part of her mind accepted and thought "it made sense". While Henrietta had been her country's princess, Mipha had been _her_ princess. There was a clear distinction between the two, and her loyalty as of late seemed to gear towards Mipha. A frown entered her lips, so lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten that Colbert was in the room and was currently staring at her with an awkward expression.

"Louise?" the other person in the room called out to her which thankfully brought her back to reality. She blinked her eyes rapidly before a groan left her lips. _This is probably just me thinking too much since I haven't had proper sleep last night._ She stood and offered Colbert her chair to sit on while she gestured at Colbert to enter the room. The professor nodded at her, before he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not here just to chat. Official business pretty much. Mip- Princess Mipha, the Captain of the Royal Musketeers wishes to see you. She has a message from the Crown Princess herself."

The news of Colbert's visit brought a slight surprise to Louise. Sure, she had been expecting something like this to happen to Mipha, but to happen this early wasn't something she was mentally prepared for. "Fast work" wasn't something Tristain was particularly known for, that much the pinkette could admit despite her love for this country. If matters were taken in a faster rate, she was sure that Tristain wouldn't be in a poor state as it was then. She watched her familiar's reaction, and saw something that she hadn't seen since their "business" with the Count. There was the _regal_ atmosphere that seemed to just shroud the princess even though she wasn't doing anything special. Her posture straightened, and from the side, she could hear the professor's breathing hitch. She hadn't really understood why, but one glance at Mipha's eyes made her do the same. There was hardness on them, and no lesser disappointment present in those yellow eyes of hers. The presence of disappointment came as a shock to her.

"I see. I'm assuming that I must leave to hear the message then?" Louise was honestly wondering why Mipha seemed to be so disappointed. When her eyes trailed down and saw Mira on the princess' lap, she realized why. She held in her urge to laugh, but it was a near fruitless effort. So, she decided to at least be civil about it and hid her smile behind a hand. The professor noticed her, and while his glare would've stopped her from laughing at any other occasion, such wasn't then. To his visible dismay, Louise kept laughing, and a bigger pout landed on Mipha's lips.

"Well, yes, but if you are- your Highness is busy, then I can tell them and have them make a written letter instead," Colbert continued. That made Mipha pout a little more, and since Louise knew of Mipha's reason of being disappointed now, she now focused her attention on Mira instead. Mipha's hands that were gently caressing Mira hastened in its pace, as if the princess was making the moment worthwhile by petting her as fast as she could. Mira obviously didn't like it as she hopped off Mipha's lap, causing the princess to yelp and reach for the bunny in longing. The sudden noise made by Mipha caused Colbert to reflexively raise his staff- probably in self-defense. That only made Louise crack as she'd let her laugh out for the two to know. Her action caused the two to blush in embarrassment though for different reasons.

"Well, since Mira decided to hop off, I have no other choice than to see the messenger, don't I?"

"Well, uhm, yes," Colbert said, a little dumbfounded by what happened. A sigh escaped the princess' lips as she'd stood and gestured for Colbert to carry on. Louise blinked when she realized that Colbert hadn't asked the identity of Mira, and where she came from. "Ah, Ms. Vallière, you should go out now and prepare to receive the princess. It's unfortunate, but only Mipha's presence is needed there. The… Captain has been a particularly rude fellow and even pushed the secretary out," he said apologetically. Louise frowned from that. The order had miffed her enough to forget her earlier train of thought. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Fine, though that doesn't mean I like it."

"Thank you for cooperating, Ms. Vallière. I'd say you take the time to prepare yourself for the upcoming familiar exhibition, but-" his words trailed off as he'd glanced at Mipha, who only tilted her head in slight confusion.

"Ah, you won't need to worry about that, Professor Colbert. We have something planned for the exhibition, and that involves Mira."

Colbert blinked. "Ah, your bunny? I see, that certainly makes sense. I do wish you luck for your endeavours, you'll have it the hardest it seems." Louise laughed dryly at his remark. She watched Colbert and Mipha leave through the door. She chuckled at the sight of Mipha grabbing her trident on the way out, and Colbert heaving a sigh. She waited until she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before she sighed in relief.

 _I-I'm glad he hadn't asked how we're going to make her look like a familiar. Though, why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?_ She turned her attention again at the parchment on the top of her desk. She had done her very best to replicate the runes on Mipha's chest. Now, the only problem was naming the spell. She knew now how her spell worked, thanks to Mipha explaining it to her, so now she could just imagine it happen and it would work. However, unlike the red head, she was nowhere gifted in executing magic with a mental command, so there was truly a need for her to use words of power regardless. She turned to her candles, and then to the lecture Mipha had written out for her. She idly remembered that her spell supposedly used light to recreate the image on top of Mira's forehead. That meant what Louise was doing was tricking people to seeing what isn't there, and was just redirecting an object to another location without physically moving it. _Like some sort of deception made through illumination_ , Louise chuckled as she'd remembered these two terms from her earlier years of studying her terms hadn't been particularly useful growing up, mostly due to never being used much except for the essays that the pinkette had written for some subjects. _Maybe I should try combining them._

"Hm. Decemiation? Decepination? Illuception?" the pinkette spoke out loud as she'd tested every word that came to her mind using her mouth. They felt wrong to her, as she'd tried more and more combinations. "Decetion, Illuption, Illution-" Louise stopped as she'd said the last word. She blinked, and something inside her told her that she said it right. "Illusion. [Illusion]!" she said the word twice, as she'd grabbed her wand and the paper. She approached Mira, who had turned to look at her. She raised her wand at Mira while her other hand had the paper faced towards the bunny. _Please work, please work, please work._ "[Illusion]" she casted as she'd felt the magic gather at the tip of her wand. Light suddenly shot out from the wand, and, as if made from liquid, the light that hit the forehead of the bunny recoiled and fell down on the forehead in smaller droplets. She watched as the runes slowly appeared on the bunny's forehead once again, and barely restrained a cry of joy.

"I did it," Louise whispered in both glee and shock. Even though she felt immensely proud that she had a new spell in her arsenal, she also felt equally _blasphemous_ for using the very magic of the founder. _Looks like the feeling won't go anytime soon, no matter how much I accept things._ Louise suddenly felt tired by that point as she sat down on her chair, and set the paper down on her desk. _Normally, if I do this and it's out of sight for Mira, that should make it unstable- huh?_ She blinked when she saw the [Illusion] on top of Mira's forehead hadn't destabilized. Mira seemed to have lost interest on her and hopped away. It prompted Louise to walk and see if the illusion had destabilized.

It had not.

 _Did something change when now I know how it works?_ She thought about the sudden odd change to her spell. She went back to the paper and covered it with her hand as she'd turned to Mira. When the bunny hopped towards her direction, she saw that there were no runes on her forehead.

"So, as long as it's visible in terms of having enough light," Louise said as she slowly raised her hand. The [Illusion] flickered back, but it wasn't solid. Louise slowly nodded her head at the sight. _I guess this really solidifies the fact that whatever Mipha taught me had an impact on my spells. Well, it wasn't like I hadn't known that in the first place._ She turned her attention outside of her window, and saw a bunch of students suddenly coming out to the open. It was only then she remembered that the Crown Princess was supposed to be arriving at morning.

"Oh no, Mira, let's go!" she called out to her. While certainly her loyalty would seem to gravitate towards Mipha nowadays, Henrietta was still very much her friend. Having not seen her for many years, her visit may possibly the only chance Louise would have to at least see her childhood friend. Much to her dismay, it was that time when her little bunny had decided to be a rascal and not follow her order. Louise groaned. "Mira, come on, we don't have time anymore!" Mira answered her by kicking her hind legs at her general direction. "Did you just flip me off again?!" Louise was about to go and just use [Levitation] on Mira to speed things up when she heard the door behind her slowly open. She turned and saw Siesta, who was just in time to pick up the laundry.

"Having trouble, Louise?" the maid teased. Louise groaned at the jab. The maid chuckled and Louise idly watched the maid kneel down. She rummaged through her pockets before she brought out a handful of hay and set it down on the floor. Mira instantly hopped towards the hay and began eating. "Make sure to feed them. Bunnies like her have quite the appetite, and often don't do well when they don't have anything to eat. Now that I think of it, how _did_ your bunny last through the night?"

Now that was a good question Louise didn't have any answers to.

"In fact, where does she even poop? I don't know about you Louise, but it _smells_ in here."

 _Oh, so that's what I forgot_. The sigh that escaped the pinkette's lips only signalled the fact it was going to be a very long morning. All in all, Louise knew that it just had been a horrible morning for her. She made a mental note to remember to thank Siesta the next chance she got. Honestly, if it weren't for her, the room would've remained smelly, and Mira wouldn't have left the room. Now, she was taking some slow steps down the stairwell while she kept track of the bunny on her arms. Thankfully, Mira hadn't done anything rash on their way down so it had been pretty easy. What wasn't easy was getting Mira to hang out with the rest of the familiars. Like the docile creature she was, Louise had to do her best to restrain Mira without hurting her. Such was her case then. She gazed at her bunny that was currently floating in mid-air. The runes on her forehead were fortunately stable in its imagery, so it made the perfect disguise as a "familiar". Its beady red eyes stared at her in defiance, as it still tried to hop away from the other familiars that seemed like predators in her view. A sigh escaped her lips.

"Look, I just can't let you out in the courtyard by your own again. I don't want to look for you when the exhibition's about to begin, nor do I want you being mistaken as a wild animal. I have enough worries to deal with, I don't want to add that pile with yours," she found herself scolding Mira. Well, whatever she had said fell on the bunny's deaf ears since it was doing its outmost best trying to hop in mid-air. Another sigh eventually escaped her lips. The shuffling of grass and footsteps behind her caused her to turn around, and she spotted a certain bluenette approaching her. Of course, she easily recognized the person. After all, there was no other person in the academy who just had enough field of vision to walk in a straight line while reading a book. "Tabitha," the pinkette greeted out. Her counterpart nodded at her politely before gesturing her staff at Mira. She then gestured her staff to Sylphid, who was currently flying all the way back from the group. Louise blinked at the action, before she stared at her currently frightened Mira, and a curious dragon. She blinked again when she thought about what Tabitha had meant. On one hand, Tabitha would've meant that she wanted to feed Mira to her familiar. On the other, Tabitha was most probably offering Sylphid to watch over Mira. She was simply not at the level of Kirche "Tabitha Translator" Zerbst. Speaking of the Zerbst, it looked like there was a red headed buxom vixen _bitch_ headed toward her way.

Oh wait, that was her.

"Oh, she's offering Sylphid to watch over Mira for you." A groan left Louise's lips as she'd slapped her face with her hand. _Speak of the devil, and she shall appear_.

"Honestly, I don't know how you can take that sentence out from two actions," Louise grumbled as she'd slowly put Mira down from her [Levitation]. The bunny seemed to be utterly grateful since the moment she touched the ground, she butted her head against Louise's shoe before hopping off as fast as she could. "Well, I'll gladly take the help anyway. Thank you, Tabitha," Louise smiled at the bluenette. Tabitha only seemed to nod in response, before a quick flick of her staff had set Sylphid to motion. The dragon flew to the sky to the point Louise couldn't see it. _It must've done that on purpose, so it wouldn't be seen and risk Mira from panicking._

"No problem," the bluenette had replied to her curtly. On the other hand, the Kirche simply shrugged her shoulders.

"A Germanian thing. We were taught body language and sign language, so I could understand Tabitha very well. Maybe you can say we're even _intimate_ ," the Zerbst teased as she'd leaned closer to the bluenette. Tabitha rolled her eyes in response before she left to line in with the other students. Louise snickered at the obvious failure of Kirche's attempt to make Tabitha embarrassed. Of course, Louise made her amusement known so she hadn't bothered hiding it. That caused the person she was directing her amusement to frown at the pinkette.

"It's still not fair how you managed to get her to laugh for a second when all I could is just make her roll her eyes."

"Maybe she's exasperated to you to the point she's pretty much dull to your teasings?"

That seemed to scandalize the Germanian as she'd gasped at Louise at the thought. Louise expected a retort to happen that will start the bickering between the two once again, Evidently by Kirche opening her mouth, that was supposed to be the case. When no sound came out and Kirche had suddenly put on a contemplative expression, Louise could only admit that she was slightly disappointed and slightly shocked. "Are you, are you actually thinking for once?" Kirche shrieked at the rhetorical question.

"I always think things through, just who do you think I am?!"

"Someone who doesn't think at all."

" _Excuse me?"_

Before the pinkette could go off with another round of tirades with her "rival", she ran off. Thankfully, she had just been on time as when she'd arrived. The professors were already neatly organizing and instructing the students to line-up for the princess' arrival. In order to further escape from the red head, she quickly pushed her way into the crowd and let herself be brought to the front. Being small had its perks, even though Louise would forever deny that statement. She stared at the pavement that lead towards the main building of the academy, and, from the distance, she could already see the carriage. Excitement welled up inside her, but it's sadly equalized by worry. Will the princess remember her just as how Louise remembered the princess? Before she could ever contemplate on the manner, the harrumph of the trumpets startled her out of worry.

"Presenting, the Crown Princess of Tristain, Henrietta!"

Her eyes lit up when she heard the name, and just wonder filled her very being. When she saw the princess on the front of the carriage being flanked by horsemen on both sides, she knew one thing for certain, and that brought her eternal relief. The kind smile on her face, the soft emotions present on her eyes, and the calm demeanour she just exuded out. A similar soft smile landed on her lips as she'd stared at the princess. Even Kirche's presence and remark "that's the princess? I admit, I look better than her" hadn't brought a rise out of her. At that time, nothing else mattered. It was good to see her friend was doing great. She wondered about how Mipha was doing, before she shrugged. Mipha was Mipha, and Louise was sure that her familiar was doing great.

Louise was a growing girl, and she had long learned that if it was Mipha, then nothing would go wrong.

* * *

 **Mipha**

The princess wasn't doing great, not by a long shot. In fact, she's doing terribly in keeping her composure. The girl before her, Agnès as she had come to know, was _extremely_ good at pressing questions for Mipha to answer. For the past hour, she had done nothing but entertain every inquiry the Lynel girl had. It was particularly tough for the princess, and she mentally berated herself for not planning far ahead with her backstory. The critical and cold glare the lion girl was giving her didn't help either. She hadn't felt this terrified since fighting a Lynel alongside Link. Well, it was more of her being saved by Link from a Lynel, but that was beside the point. _Dear Nayru, help me!_ She prayed to one of the goddesses in her head. She watched with painful patience as the Lynel girl's mouth started to open again, and it was only the knocking on the headmaster's door that had saved the princess. A truly relieved sigh escaped her lips and a quick prayer of thanks to Nayru escaped her tongue in her native language. Agnès turned her glare away in favour of staring down the door that had been knocked to.

"You have permission to come in," the girl spoke. Mipha shivered from the angry tone behind her voice.

"Wait, I'm the one who's supposed to say that…" a softer and older voice spoke out somewhere farther in the room. The captain had turned her glare to the person in question and raised an eyebrow.

"Did I stutter?"

"N-no, ma'am," the Headmaster admitted as a mouse climbed above his shoulders. The two began to speak with one another in hushed voices, and Mipha dared not try to understand the reason why the Headmaster took that time to blush.

"Then, Princess Henrietta coming in," a younger and more womanly voice answered from the other side of the door. Mipha's eyes widened. _So, there was a twist in the end, huh?_ She thought sadly. When she turned her gaze to the Lynel girl, she saw the girl pale from her mistake. She nodded sagely. _At least I'm not the only one unlucky today- wait, that's Kirche's, Siesta's, and Louise's influence talking to you!_ She lightly slapped her cheeks before she turned to face the door. The door had opened to reveal a young girl with a royal outfit on. When she looked at the girl, she noticed that she was certainly attractive. Her red mane had been luscious, and her face was neatly proportioned. However, it was her eyes that caught Mipha's attention, and shook her to the core. Her teal coloured eyes held great tiredness in them, only hidden by the warm smile on her exterior.

It seemed like she found the version of Zelda in her world.

"It's good to see you have followed my orders right down to their core, Agnès."

"A-ah, many thanks, your Highness," the captain said. It honestly surprised Mipha that the captain had been able to quickly regain her composure in a matter of seconds. She wondered just what exactly the Lynel girl went through just to achieve that level of mental fortitude.

"Ah, you must be… Princess Mipha de Zora, correct? I'm Henrietta, Crown Princess of Tristian. I apologize for the late action, and the insult we have inflicted upon you. Rest assured that Count Mott is currently in our dungeons and experiencing some of our tender mercies," the princess said shakily. The _sadness_ and _fear_ in the princess' voice just _hurt_ Mipha, because it was just so alike to Zelda's whenever she spoke about matters in Hyrule Castle. She could feel the tensed muscles underneath her clothes, and it had expressed itself greatly with how Henrietta was currently curling her fists. It didn't help that the _Crown Princess of Tristain_ had _bowed_ to her to apologize for an act that she had no hand in being able to prevent. Judging from the reactions from the room, with wide eyed astonishment from the Headmaster to outright verbal support from Agnès, Mipha wasn't the only who felt that what Henrietta was doing was wrong.

"Please raise your head. It is not the proper manner of a Princess to bow to another submissively," Mipha found herself chiding Henrietta. She couldn't help but add in a familiarity in the tone of her voice, which, she noted, caused quite the reaction out of the Lynel Girl. Henrietta didn't seem to know what to do, before gently nodding and straightening her posture. Mipha couldn't help but heave a sigh when Zelda's frame was imposing itself on Henrietta's. _This poor girl has too many responsibilities riding on her shoulders._ To her credit, Henrietta didn't seem insulted by her chiding. "I truly understand the circumstances, and I blame you not of being unable to prevent such a travesty from happening. The fault lies in the Count alone, nothing more and nothing less," Mipha continued as she'd reached over and patted Henrietta in the shoulder. It was at that moment when the princess had collapsed into a chair out of _sheer relief_ that Mipha hadn't been insulted or frustrated at her. A sad smile entered her lips when she saw that happen, and she sat down as well to mirror the princess. She wished to show that she saw the both of them as equals, and not that the other has a higher authority. Henrietta seemed to have caught that, thankfully, which prompted Mipha to smile.

"I-I see. Thank you for your kindness, Princess Mipha. My mother and I have been extremely worried about how badly the Palace has ignored you, so we wished to give you our utmost apologies. Even now, I still do wish to show it," she said as she'd gestured at Agnès. The captain nodded her head before walking to the corner of the room where there was a chest that sat down neatly. "Hopefully, these collection of expensive jewellery from the palace's treasury would be enough to forgive the plight the count has caused."

Mipha's jaw dropped when she heard of what her counterpart princess was saying, and it dropped even more when she saw the _absurd amount_ of precious gems just stacked inside the chest. The chest had been roughly 3 feet in all dimensions. While small, the amount it had was simply priceless. Of course, Mipha wasn't the type of person who'd accept expensive gifts.

"N-no, you don't have to give me that! Really, you don't have to," Mipha said as she'd frantically waved her arms to emphasize her point that there was no need for an apology gift. She hadn't noticed the stuff she had bumped over thanks to the trident she had been holding since she left her room. Henrietta frowned at that, before slowly nodded her head.

"I see. Well, truly these gems would be insufficient with such beautiful precious stones hanging off your crown like that. Again, I'd like to apologize for being insufficient in our service-"

"Please, don't say anything more than that. I'm truly sincere when I say that I understand the situation, and I do not hold any ill will against the Palace and yourself. I do not wish for any reimbursements for what happened, nor do my people would demand such," Mipha cut Henrietta off, who seemed to be on the urge of crying. _That's unfair, I'm the one who wants to cry here_ , Mipha thought as she bit her lip to reign in her emotions. While she was normally a well-practiced diplomat who wouldn't place emotions on the table when presenting their case, it seemed like she wasn't able to do that reputation justice. She had let her anger and control go loose during her confrontation with the Mott, and the only time she had ever been calm in a "diplomatic situation" was when she confirmed to Louise that she was in fact not an elf. Even then, she was only calm because that happened _after_ she cried for the , it may be due to her new Hylian body that made her react in ways that her Zora self could not. She could perceive emotions greater than before, and that fact greatly troubled her.

It's even more troubled her now that she only registered this during _another_ diplomatic situation.

Thankfully, it seemed like the fates had been kind to her that day. Henrietta had looked at her with such surprise and wonder that Mipha was worried that the crown princess had gone into shock. Only Agnès had a somewhat negative response to her statement in the room, her eyes narrowed at Mipha to try and decode any lies that the princess had told.

"T-truly, then?"

"Truly," Mipha answered in the sincerest voice she could produce. Henrietta stared at her in true wonder before a small defeated smile donned her lips.

"It's a little embarrassing for a foreign princess to treat me like this." Mipha gave an equally troubled smile. She had no response to that. After that statement, the room's atmosphere had turned awkward, and time seemed to have gone past without either party speaking. The growing blush on both red head's face only intensified when they both came to the conclusion that the other party didn't know how to begin the diplomatic talk.

"So, uhm, your Highness, would you like to proceed to the Familiar Exhibition? I understand that the travel has been long, so it would be best for you to enjoy yourself first before we deal with more sensitive manners," the Headmaster suggested. Mipha turned to the Headmaster so fast that she felt dizzy after completing the movement as she'd gently clutched her head.

"Yes, that would be great, Headmaster. Are there any worthwhile Familiars that I should take note of?"

"Ah, out of all, I do believe that Young Tabitha's dragon would interest you." Now that got a response out of Henrietta. Mipha saw her eyes light up, and the troubled smile she had turned genuine for the crown princess. In fact, her smile even grew brighter when Mipha realized that despite Colbert has reported Mipha's existence as a princess, he had hidden the fact she was a _familiar_. That would make the explanation on the talent show easier then! "One of the first years has summoned a dragon? Hoh, that's impressive," the Lynel girl spoke out from the side. The Headmaster laughed eagerly and stood from his spot. "Indeed, indeed. Now, let's not make any more of them waiting. Follow me," he said as he led the small group out of his office. During their walk towards their destination, Mipha had fallen into deep thinking.

She really needed to develop a really elaborate and convincing backstory now about her kingdom, and her subjects. While she could chalk it off that her subjects and the royalty all had great affinities for water enough to build a kingdom on the far reaches of the ocean, it would only be a matter of time until Tristain confirmed this by sending out a fleet to discover if her tales were true. Mipha knew for a fact that there was no such thing as a "Kingdom" beyond the waters. She had checked every history book available in the library to discover that there were nearly zero records of what lied beyond the ocean. While it would be certainly handy to keep that story up for now, it would not benefit her in the future. However, how should she explain herself now then, to Siesta, Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche, Montmorency, and Colbert about how she came from a land of a distant world known as "Hyrule"? With Louise, she knew that she had no problems explaining about her situation. No, in fact, her master might've already guessed her true origin. The pinkette was smart, and out of all people she was the one that has the biggest chance of finding it out.

In her thinking, she hadn't noticed that she fell into step next to Henrietta. She only registered this event when she felt a cold gaze pierce her back. She quickly turned around to see Agnès, who had taken the opportunity to walk in the rear to guard them, glaring _intensely_ at her. The intensity forced Mipha to turn back in a matter of seconds. She felt that if she tried to stare back a second longer; she would've been gutted from where she stood. A chuckling from the side caught her attention, and she turned to see Henrietta hiding her smile with her hand.

"Agnès does that to people, doesn't she? I've once told her to lighten up and be friendly, but she kept refusing that request. Something about how that would be beneficial, and for 'my own good'," the Crown Princess spoke to her. Mipha smiled when she heard her voice. _At least she's relaxed with me now and without the fear and tension from earlier._

"I-I see. That reminds me of a person with a similar troubling attitude," Mipha admitted. She wanted to continue the talk, now that the princess had finally decided to say something. This time, Henrietta turned her attention to Mipha.

"Really? How did you deal with them?"

"We kind of got used to it. We know that he truly meant no harm, but sometimes it just feels right to ram my trident up his arrogant self," Mipha growled as her grip had tightened on her trident. "Ah, whoops. Let myself slip up there," she apologized after her words just registered in her head. She felt the familiar warmth on her cheeks made due to embarrassment. Henrietta only nodded uncertainly at the statement, and inched a little farther from Mipha. That action made the ex-Zora cry a little inside. _I wanted to portray myself as a peace loving person, not someone who would quickly resort to violence._

"Well, I see, uhm. Ah, how about your trident then? Is it some sort of a royal symbol?"

Mipha smiled. "Ah, yes. It's something akin to a royal staff to yours, but I also use it to defend my people in times of great need." At this, Henrietta blinked.

"You'd go out at the front lines to fight for your people?" Mipha smiled at her question, and when Henrietta saw that, she knew that she needn't a verbal answer. A similar smile and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. "That's great. I thought I was the only one who thought that if things had come to such a point, I would go out and put myself in the battle. My advisors berated me for that, and said that I should only stay behind."

Mipha nodded. "So did mine. It took a while to convince them, and I'm very glad I did." Mipha regretted dying, but she hadn't regretted doing what she did. Her thoughts had consumed her consciousness by that point, and it was only when the Headmaster announced their arrival that Mipha was brought back.

"Ah, we've arrived now. Princess Mipha, and your Highness, the chairs are over there," the Headmaster said. Mipha took that time to survey the surrounding. There were two stages that had been prepared adequately, and there were rows of chairs filled with students facing the bigger stage. The chairs that the Headmaster had pointed out were placed on top of the smaller yet equally aesthetic stage, though there was still some distance until they reached them. She idly wondered why he hadn't escorted them to their seats, such was the proper decorum. When she saw Agnès' glare, however, she quickly sympathized with the Headmaster's plight. Mipha and Henrietta shared a look before they giggled to each other. Soon enough, they took to their seats, and just at the moment they had sat down, an announcer was quick to reveal their presence. The cheers of the crowd were louder than usual which caused the princess to blush a deeper crimson. Honestly, she hated the attention. Once the crowd died down, Professor Colbert had stepped into the stage. _Ah, he's going to be the mediator, isn't he?_

"Now, usually we'd start out with the best student, however, this year is different! One student had proved herself enough to gain the merit to be the first to perform on stage. She is a mage who had dragged herself from the very bottom among the mages to arguably one of the best I've ever taught in my current class- Introducing, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière!"

Honestly, Mipha wasn't expecting that. Neither had she expected for the students to actually _cheer_ for Louise when she had climbed on stage, nor had Louise who just looked as surprised as Mipha. "Louise…" she heard a voice beside her that brought the princess out of her stupor. She turned to Henrietta, and saw a look of longing on her face.

"Do you know her?" Mipha found herself asking after a few moments of silence.

"Yes. She's my childhood friend, and someone I've wished to see after a long time," the crown princess admitted. Mipha decided to say no more by that point, and turned her attention to Louise's performance. She didn't wish to ruin a special moment for Henrietta, and a small smile entered her lips as she'd developed a thought. _Perhaps, I'll sneak her to Louise's room tonight._

On the topic of Louise, she watched as Louise confidently walked on the stage. There was an ever-present bright smile on her lips as she took long strides for Mira to walk in between her steps. The manoeuvre had been pleasantly graceful; the two never stopped for the other, and their movements were fulfilled with purpose and serenity. It surprised Mipha that Mira and Louise were so inline after what was practically half the day to practice. Once she had reached the centre, she had spread her arms and Mira jumped right into them. Louise caught Mira, and once she recovered enough to show the audience her face, she smiled the brightest smile Mipha had ever seen her do.

The princess couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of Louise at that moment. It was a change from the Louise she had seen months ago.

"I'm Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, and this is my familiar, Mira!" she introduced herself and Mira. She slowly bent forward to let the bunny hop off at a safe distance. It seemed like instead of telling the audience what they were going to do, Louise was going to show them. There was a form of playfulness in their performance, as Louise walked backwards and so did Mira. Once Louise stopped, she gestured at Mira to stay before she skipped forward. She turned around and with a flick of her hand; Mira seemed to _leap_ towards Louise with the long and fast strides she did just to reach Louise. The pinkette happily hummed in approval as she raised her hand in front of Mira. She stood on her hind legs and put both of her palms on Louise's awaiting hand- completing a "five high" as Kirche had taught Mipha. The audience knew this as well, and the coos from the girls and some boys let everyone else know about this fact. Then, Louise grinned as she motioned for Mira to stay again. She moved away from Mira and stood at the center stage. After her motion, Mira hopped towards her with short bursts of speed, but right before she could reach Louise, the pinkette suddenly ducked. Mira jumped over Louise before turning around and started nuzzling her face.

The crowd cheered at this point, and so did Mipha. While simple, the performance had been adorable. Louise stood up from her spot with Mira in her arms and bowed before leaving the stage with a happy mood. Mipha let out a relieved smile.

 _Thank Nayru, her exhibition went well._

* * *

 **Saito**

Saito was confused and _terrified_ as he and a green haired girl retreated from the academy's grounds and settled on a shed in the woods. He and Wardes have arrived at Tristain not too long ago, and his "esteemed brother" tasked him to go and help Fouquet in procuring the Staff of Destruction. It had sounded easy enough, so he relented with the request. It also happened to be in the same place as the rumoured "foreign princess", so it made the perfect excuse to try and make contact with her. It was going to be an easy mission. He could just betray Fouquet to the authorities, and act as a double agent for Tristain. Hell, Wardes wasn't even there to monitor him like the freakish bat he was!

 _So why, in the absolute fuck, is_ _ **Sheffield**_ _, out of all people, with us?!_

The girl whose features were hidden by her robe had literally appeared out of nowhere and dragged them out of the academy's perimeters. While Saito would admit that it had taken the girl _immense_ skill to sneak them out without even noticing, it wouldn't stop him from being scared shitless about the girl. Her very being radiated danger, and Derfingler had admitted that even _he_ , a self-proclaimed and tested _magic absorber_ wouldn't be able to absorb the lightning Sheffield creates. Fortunately, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who was scared shitless by the situation. Fouquet was literally trembling beside him; the poor girl had apparently been abducted while changing clothes.

"You must be wondering why I dragged you here, away from your mission." The cold and deep voice of the woman chilled Saito down to his spine. He couldn't trust his voice to speak, and neither could his partner. The two simply nodded in unison as they stared at the ground beneath Sheffield's feet. "It's easy. Mission's off."

…

Now, that was a surprise. Saito had honestly been expecting worse, and he must've revealed it to the rest in the room by releasing his held breathe. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding in his breathe all this time. "Wha-why is the mission off?! I've already infiltrated the academy and have been working on it for _months_ just to get the Staff of Destruction you, Cromwell, and that blasted Wardes have been asking for. What's with the sudden change of plans?!" Unfortunately, his partner wasn't on the same page as him. He turned at the green haired girl in a panic, and was honestly thinking that she would die at any moment. He made a prayer to the Founder in head to at least spare _his_ life from her wrath.

"It's that princess. The two of you won't be able to beat her in your states. The raw magical power she's holding inside is enough to drown an entire kingdom. I don't want two promising people to die prematurely like that." Saito's eyes widened from what Sheffield had told him. _Is, is she actually nice?_ "Saito, Matilda, retreat to the Palace and tell Wardes that the mission to claim the Staff of Destruction would be impossible. Even with me helping you out, I doubt I'd be able to do anything to even the playing field."

Saito nodded, though he didn't quite understand. Was the princess truly that powerful enough to make _the_ Sheffield admit that she won't be able to even the playing field?

"What do you mean you 'won't be able to do anything to even the playing field'. Aren't you supposed to be extremely powerful? Hell, you make Wardes look like an ant!" Matilda shouted again. Saito swore that his partner had a death wish. He made his thoughts known by trying to glare a hole in the greenette's head. At least she had the decency to keep her head down. Seconds ticked down, before seconds became minutes. When it became obvious that Sheffield wasn't answering, Saito felt the need to know what was happening. Even though every fiber of his being was telling him to don't do something as stupid as staring at her, he also wanted to know if he was going to die or not. At least by seeing her preparing a spell or swinging a sword down at him, he could react and save his skin. However, at the same time, he didn't wish to because he know fully well that he could just very well die after staring at her after a second or two. _Damn it, Saito. Damn it, don't do it, don't do it, don't you dare fucking do it-_ He did it anyway. His will to live fought out his fear, and he stared at Sheffield dead on. He expected Sheffield to be preparing a spell to smite the both of them to their deaths. Hell, he was even expecting her to brandish her oddly shaped sword and shield.

He wasn't expecting her with her hood down and blankly staring at the window.

Her dark complexion brought out the lips that were blue in colour, and the luscious red hair was tied in a high ponytail. Her green eyes stared at nothing, but they were glowing in what Saito could identify as rage. Actually, barely supressed rage as he could see some sparks of lightning run across the robe that covered her body. However, out of all features Saito saw, it was the odd writing carved on her forehead that caught his attention the most. Her next words were spoken softly, as if strained. "It's more of I can't bring myself to fight her."

Saito realized then that he wasn't the only one being forced to act as Reconquista's pawn.


	15. TWA: Assault

**Crowe here!**

 **Aria here~**

 **And we're back for another chapter!**

 **We hope everyone had a happy few months from the start of the year! We know that it's _incredibly_ late, but belated Happy New Years regardless. We're looking forward to write more chapters for all of you this year, and we hope that all of you continue to enjoy them!**

 **We apologize for the late chapter as well. Finals took a great toll on our bodies, and we had to rush writing 50 essays that had a minimum of 5 paragraphs each, four short stories, and two movie reviews. It wasn't fun thinking about the topics at all. -Crowe**

 **Also, Crowe has been looking for a job. It might take a bit long for us to post out some chapters then, since I'll be doing all the work myself, but it is summer vacation here in our sides. Please bear with me as the chapters might degrade for a bit since Crowe would be busier than ever, uwaaaa I hope I'll be able to do well. Hopefully, we'll get to get out at least a few chapters before a new hectic school season starts! ~ Aria**

 **Thank you everyone for still reading the chapters, and thank you for all the new followers and old ones for supporting this story! It really means a lot to us that people still do read the story after _months_ of no updates. Thank you so so much!**

 **Now, let's get to the reviews~**

* * *

 **ultima-owner, thank you for reading and** **your loyalty after so long** **! It makes us happy that readers like you still keep up with our updates. Indeed, we do hope that she gets out alive, but who knows?**

 **We might need to put up a poll for that one. For the name, I'll have Aria to handle this.-Crowe**

 **Thank you! The name Mira was short for Miracle, but I chose the name since it also means "light", "sea", and "kindness". I've thought that it fits really well, considering the bunny's role to making Louise accept her affinity. ~ Aria**

 **The Dark Hour, thank you for reading and** **your loyalty after so long** **! We're happy that you and the others are still reading this story. Hahaha, we knew that it was unfair then, but we needed to reveal Urbosa since we caused quite the misunderstanding with the placement of Mira's runes. Hopefully, this chapter will explain how Saito is still here in this novel. He'll take on a very serious role later on!**

 **BoTW is kind of famous since it's hard to place it in the Zelda timeline. We'll use that to our advantage in this story, but not to the point it's too convoluted. We hope that you'll enjoy our take to Saito's heritage here. The novels and anime did show that Saito wasn't the first Japanese to arrive in Halkegenia after all. -Crowe**

 **The Real Hell Fire,** **thank you for reading and leaving a feedback!** **Indeed, Link will be coming into the story, but he won't be arriving _yet_. It'll take a while for him to show up, and most likely will show up during Tiffania's arc. Need not to worry, this story will skip over events that don't really make sense for it to happen with the tone and the character development we had thus far (like the small arc of Louise drinking a love potion, Louise going back home since she hadn't proven herself, etc).**

 **IHateGenericCereal,** **thank you for reading and your loyalty after so long! Well, there are supposed to be _four_ Void Familiars, and there are _Four_ Champions. We think you can correlate it from there ;). We remember that you love it when science is placed with magic. Next chapter, you'll get a dose of that as it will be the first chapter featuring Mipha teaching Kirche, Tabitha, and the others!**

 **flo463, thank you for reading, and your loyalty after so long! It's great that you've truly given this story a chance. Saito will definitely have an expansion in his Harem. It'll be the same pairs, but in a different chronological order- and some new people to boot. Who they will be, we won't tell~ As we've said earlier, Link will arrive during Tiffania's arc. It'll be a while until then~**

 **Night, thank you for reading and leaving your feedback! Don't worry, the story will continue. Both of us has just been too busy as of late, but we won't drop this story. It has a lot of arcs that we haven't even written out yet, and we're excited to soon reach those points to all of you!**

 **Janitor, thank you for reading and giving us a lengthy feedback! Indeed, that was also what we've noticed as we wrote along, and it's also something that our other readers have pointed out. We've been doing our best to limit the monologues, and carry the pace along faster than the first few chapters. Hopefully, in this arc, we'll be able to remedy that solution as we make things on a faster pace. We have been considering to rewrite the first few chapters into condensed ones that will deliver the same impact, but we'll do that once we at least finish the current arc. Also, thank you for liking our prose! It's good to hear that the style at least makes the story comfortable to read. It seems like we have a long way to go!**

 **I really like your idea of having Mipha's unfamiliarity as a bridge to connect her to other characters. It's unfortunate that we haven't thought of that during the time. We'll definitely use your suggestion sometime down in the chapters, or during our rewrites for the first chapters. Thank you for the suggestion, we'll definitely do our best to improve! -Crowe**

 **Thank you so much for your feedback! We'll definitely learn from this, as we have from our other critics. It'll take some time for us to adjust though, since we're too used to writing with a slow pace. Everyone, feel free to remind us or critic us if the story suddenly goes too fast! ~Aria**

 **Again, thank you so much for your feedbacks! It means a lot to us, it truly does. Hopefully, once we improve enough, we'll be able to write fictions of our own in the future!**

 **Now, without further adieu!**

* * *

 **Potential Triggers Ahead**

* * *

 **Saito**

A sigh escaped the young man's lips as he'd carefully stepped over a fallen tree. They had taken a more discrete route to reach the castle, which meant going through the forest patches to meet up with his "older" brother just by the castle's lake. It had been _incredibly_ early morning when they were taken away by her, so at least the sun was beating down on them. It had been a relatively quiet trek as his "partner" for the mission, Fouquet, refused to say anything in the presence of Sheffield. It wasn't like Saito could blame his partner for that. The person with the billowing cloak before them hadn't said a word either. The oppressing aura and the crackling of lightning that ran across her cloak added to her already intimidating form. _It's a miracle I haven't pissed myself already._ The only saving grace of the situation for Saito was the fact that Sheffield hadn't spoken a single word since she pulled them out. _Still, since it's obvious she doesn't want to do this, maybe I could recruit her to my plan of escaping?_ Saito could no longer see the woman's face; her hood had already been pulled up to conceal her features once again. Even so, he could guess the sour expression on the redhead's face.

 _I guess it's worth the try. Though, I better do it when no one's watching._ Saito highly doubted that Sheffield would just come pick them up on her own. While she was the ace of Reconquista, he knew that she had freedom just as limited as his. He knew how that blasted Wardes worked his mind; he wouldn't be surprised if there was a group of mages and knights trailing them a few feet away. A tap on his shoulder caused him to turn his attention away from the cloaked figure, and he saw Fouquet staring at him warily.

"Honestly, if I didn't know whose younger brother you were, I'd assume you have a death wish. I wouldn't keep staring at _her_ \- ", Saito could hear the venom in her voice when she referred to Sheffield, "-if I were you. She'd kill you before you'd even blink. Hell, she's pissed enough as is," she whispered at him. He only frowned at her and whispered back.

"What are you talking about? She hasn't done anything to us so far, and I bet my life that if she would've wanted to kill us, she would've done so when she pulled us out. You know how Reconquista works, right? The people we work for kill the incompetents to thin out the herd, and she hasn't," he whispered back. Fouquet didn't look happy about his reply as she stepped right into his personal space and grabbed his shirt closer to her. Her eyes were filled with rage, but after seeing Wardes staring at him with the same eyes, Saito didn't feel intimidated by the older woman. Instead of shying away like he normally would, he calmly put his hand on hers, and forcibly tugged her away from him. He returned her glare with his own. Saito could feel the tension rise between them, and he could feel his hand moving towards Derf's handle.

"Pardn'er, while I'd appreciate duking it out with a mage and having you test my prowess as a magic-absorbing sword, I'd reaaaally like it if you don't do it before a certain someone, I can't do shit on, yanno?" Derf warned Saito. Even through his metallic voice, the younger boy could hear the wariness and slight fear from the intelligent sword. As if to prove his point further, Saito felt chills run down his spine, and he could see that Fouquet had felt the same. She had frozen in place with her hand on her wand with the tightest grip Saito had ever seen. He could even see the cracks start to form. He gulped as he'd slowly turned his face to the side, and saw Sheffield with her arms crossed and her foot was tapping the ground. _Oh shit, she's angry now!_ Saito cursed in his mind. He wisely stood up straight and faced Sheffield. His hand had long forgotten the handle, and both hands were now pressed against his sides. Fouquet had done the same seconds later in a quicker motion than Saito did. Even though he could not see what lied beyond the shadows casted by the hood, he could feel the impatience in her eyes.

It was silent. Time felt like it stopped, as not even the winds blew between the trees; nor there were animals and birds making noise in the wildlife. Seconds felt like hours for Saito as he could feel the pressure intensify before them. He felt warmth on his exposed skin, and his hairs stand up all over his body. His ears registered the faintest sound of cracks of a whip- _I'm going to die, I'm going todie, I'mgoingtodie-_ then everything died down. Saito's mind went blank for a second as he collapsed to the ground with his partner falling not too long after. The sensation of the morning wind blowing against his skin finally registered in his mind, as well as the distant chirps of birds and sounds of other wildlife. The pressure had apparently been so strong that Saito's senses thought that time had actually stopped in those mere seconds.

 _Just what kind of a monster is that princess if_ this _Sheffield was reluctant of engaging her?_

Saito's sanity shuddered from his imagination. While he knew that Sheffield didn't wish to attack the princess out of some other factor, he couldn't discount the eerie feeling that the princess was certainly stronger. _Fucking damn it, past-me. What kind of shit show did you pull me into?_ He grieved internally.

"The two of you better stay here. With the rising tensions between you two, I doubt Wardes would like the sight. I have enough on my plate to deal with already, and I doubt that old fart would appreciate me killing off our only mole," Sheffield finally spoke. The fact that the older woman could casually talk about killing Wardes, one of the most accomplished knights of Tristain's history, only worsened the feeling of dread for Saito. "The two of you stay here, and get acquainted. I understand that the two of you hadn't known each other for too long, but I can't have you two at each other's throats for all the time. Like I've said, I'd hate it to get rid of two promising people too early." Saito's blood ran cold as he heard Fouquet thank Sheffield profusely after hearing her proposition. He watched the older woman sigh and grumble under her breath:

"Is this what Zelda had to deal with whenever Link and Revali had their spats?"

Saito didn't know what she meant about that, and he wisely didn't ask. He watched in silence as Sheffield left the two of them without warning. Only when he was sure that Sheffield was long gone had he lied down against the ground. He had hit his head on a rock, but he honestly couldn't care about the pain. He was just _extremely_ relieved that he was free from the torment.

"That was your fault. Had you only listened to my advice obediently, she wouldn't have gotten angry in the first place."

 _Just who does this bitch think she is?!_ The relief melted down into anger as he'd sat up and shouted at her. "Oh, now it's my fault?! You were aggravating me when I wasn't doing anything wrong! She didn't even know, or if she did, at least didn't _mind_ when I was looking at her!"

The greenette glared at him with rage as she'd pulled out her wand. However, before she could even cast a spell, Saito had already pressed Derf against her neck. He watched as she still stared at him with barely restrained anger, but also newfound fear. _Of course, she'll fear me right now. I have a blade against her throat_. He forced himself to calm down as he'd glared at Fouquet. As much as he'd loathed her guts then, he didn't wish to kill her. Unlike the insane people that surrounded them in Reconquista, he wasn't someone who killed others for pleasure. He was normal, and he would forever enforce that point. After seeing that Fouquet hadn't done any further action, he silently withdrew his blade.

"Look. I may not have the gift to be a mage like you, or Wardes, but I have been hellishly trained with the sword. While you have been planning and rotting away with plans to steal the Staff of Destruction, I have been killing companies of soldiers and mages at Albion," he warned her as he'd sheathed Derf. In his mind, he thanked the sword, who had been silent for the whole ordeal. Had Derf spoken then, he knew that his anger would just explode further. He sighed in frustration and tiredness as he'd leaned back against the grass. "… Sorry about that," he said as he couldn't help but apologize for his action. Fouquet was silent before he heard a sigh escape her lips.

"It's fine. I should've kept my words to myself. I wasn't thinking right, since this was the first time I've interacted with Sheffield after seeing her take Wardes down in a single strike all those months ago," the older woman spoke out in a softer voice. Saito smiled. He was thankful that the woman had calmed down. "Boy. What's your name?" Saito stayed silent for a while as he'd digested her words.

 _I guess we're really doing this, huh?_

"Saito. Just Saito. I hate being called with anything related to the Wardes, no matter how hard people praise me for it."

"That's a surprise. Why so? You're a noble, so shouldn't you be proud of your name?"

Saito sat up, and leaned against a tree this time. He didn't really have any other reasons why, he just wanted to look cool as he vented- _told_ his story.

"My family- we were originally people from inside the capital of Tristain. However, we couldn't just afford living there anymore and we had to leave and move to Tarbes. While the place was awesome and the locals were nice, we didn't exactly have any land nor the gold. We were poor. Dad and mum had to do odd jobs just so we could scrape by, but even then, it was difficult to feed my younger siblings. We didn't regret it though. As long as we had each other, we were happy," he said. A fond smile was on his face as he told his tale.

"Why didn't your family have land? Most commoners in Tristain had farms all over the countryside to go home to," Fouquet asked. It was a good question, one that Saito unfortunately didn't know the answer to either.

"I'm not sure. When I asked my father about it, he told me that my ancestry started to someone who was new in Halkegania. According to him, she just popped out after the sun went black and spoke a very odd language. She had odd clothing too, and apparently had a _huge_ metal vambrace that covered the entirety of her left arm. She wasn't very friendly either. One time, when the guards came to get her for questioning, she had apparently beat all of them without even drawing her sword. She had apparently only done so when the chief knight of the time had arrived, but even then, he was soundly defeated."

"What's this girl's name?" Fouquet asked as she'd replicated Saito. She leaned against a tree now as well.

"I think it was Ashe-y, or A-shi? My father wasn't sure how to pronounce the name either as he never bothered asking his mother anymore than that. Well, due to her conduct, the chief knight hadn't taken his defeat too kindly and ordered that she was to be exiled from the country. The ruler then didn't accept his request, fortunately for us, and he let the girl stay in the country. She eventually had children of her own, but it was only after a year of staying in Germania."

"How many years ago was this?"

"That, I'm not sure. My father joked that it may have been thousands of years ago or something, but Germania wouldn't have been created during that. The chief knight was being a pitiful bastard then when he banned my ancestors from spreading without letting the ruler know. That's sort of the reason why my ancestors ended up in Tristain, and things eventually grew out from there- well, not grew out, considering that I have barely any relatives. They probably exist somewhere, but I don't know them either way."

"Hm. I guess that explains why you look so different from the others. Having black hair and all- I guess that explains why Siesta looks so different too," Fouquet replied and mumbled her last sentence. Maybe it was due to the fact that it sounded like a girl's name that Saito's ears were able to pick up her words.

"Who?"

"No one you should worry about. So, why did you let yourself be adopted by Wardes then? You said you were a happy family regardless of having no gold," Fouquet quickly changed the subject. Saito didn't know why, but she held rage in her eyes once again. He decided that he should answer her question as briefly as possible- as well as vent as much as he could along the way.

"My father was getting older, so the amount of jobs he could take grew limited. My mother couldn't handle the load. I had to do something, and the odd jobs at Tarbes weren't cutting it," Saito said as his hands balled into fists. "Don't get me wrong. The locals were really nice and great, they gave us free food when they had the chance, but we knew we just couldn't keep relying on them like that. We were nobodies in the land. I saw the recruitment poster for the Tristanian Army, and I decided to apply. That was when Wardes saw me and just picked me up."

"Oh." From this point, Fouquet had sympathy develop in her eyes as she stared sadly at Saito. However, the boy hadn't noticed as he was too absorbed into his story.

"I wasn't expecting for things to develop this way. That fucking Viscount promised me that I will bring great honour to my family, and I believed it. I'm such an idiot. Now, I'm fighting for a rebellion that threatens to destroy the entire continent," He continued dispiritedly. "I've long come to terms with this. I'll be honest, I want out, but there's no way I could just up and leave," he chuckled darkly. "If I leave, my family wouldn't last. I just hope that they don't realize just what I've been doing behind their backs." Saito had finished his story. He was surprised with the lack of curses. He swore that he should be venting with explosive anger, but all he could feel was cold wrath running in his veins.

 _Maybe, I've grown used to it, or the fact that I have a plan how to escape._

While it was unfortunate that he couldn't mean the "foreign princess" and sell Fouquet out to become free, he knew he had other opportunities. _Now, it all lies to how long I can handle doing these atrocities_. He shook his head, and shrugged. He could think about that another time; preferably, alone. "Well, that's everything from me."

"Why are you telling me all of these? We could be watched for all we know by wind mages from a few feet away. We're even nearby the castle's lake as well."

Saito just shrugged. He had completely forgotten about that detail. "I guess I was just a bit too excited to tell my story."

It was quiet for a while as he watched his greenette counterpart struggle with herself. There was no mistaking the fact that he could see sympathy in the eyes of the older woman, but he shouldn't let his guard down. While he straight up admitted that he no longer to be part of Reconquista, it was something that was painfully obvious since the first time he took up a sword against a soldier of Albion. Nobody bothered punishing him for it, because they know that he was simply too scared to actually do it.

"My- my true full name is Matilda de Sachsen-Gotha. Well, was." Saito was brought out of his musings when he heard Fouquet, Matilda, finally speak. She looked pained about her decision to open up to him. "I was stripped of my title as a noble. I had a _friend_ who was very important to me, and she was entrusted into my care by her father. It was an illegal matter, and not too long later, my mother and my friend's mother were killed. We had to escape after that, and I was just filled with resentment to how my title was taken," she continued as she bit her lower lip.

"During my time as Fouquet in Tristain, I stole from the nobles just so I could have money for myself, and for my friend. My friend is running an orphanage now, you see, so gold is needed more than ever. I support her about it, of course, Though, I have a feeling she's running the orphanage now out of Survivor's Guilt." A sigh escaped her lips. She finally looked at Saito for the first time in the conversation and gave him a self-condescending half-smile. "It was Wardes who recruited me as well. I was robbing some minor noble's home when he suddenly swooped down and grabbed me with his griffin. Just like you, I was promised for something great, and like you, I was an idiot who got dragged into some megalomaniacs wet dream of destruction."

Saito chuckled at that. "That's a very apt way to describe the leader."

"It's the only way to describe him, if I'll be honest. I couldn't really leave. Just like what you've said earlier, we'd be killed if we do. Not to mention, I do need the paycheck. I've been getting more funds compared to the stuff I've been stealing."

"Quite similar to each other, eh?" Saito joked. Matilda snorted as her self-condescending smile turned at least somewhat genuine. "So, how should I call you now?" The greenette thought about it before shrugging.

"Matilda, I guess. You know already, so there's no point telling you to hide it. However, call me Fouquet when we're on a mission."

"That's as if saying that we'll be paired together again after this."

"In Brimir's sake, I hope we do. That way, I can lop your head off when you tattle my secret," she threatened playfully; though, that wasn't what Saito had heard in his head.

"Hey, I won't- "

"-we have a problem. I hope the two of you have kissed and made up, because you're still doing the mission anyway," Sheffield said as she'd stepped next to them. Matilda jumped from her seat, and so did Saito. _Holy shit, just when did she arrive? How couldn't we tell that she had arrived even?!_

"Wait, we're still doing the mission? Even though you've pulled us out this far?!"

"Hush, I can easily transport the two of you back there," she said as she'd pulled her hood back. The runes on her head were glowing. "However, we're adjusting a few things. Matilda, we will not be using your modus operandum for this mission. Wardes told me that the two of you should steal the Staff of Destruction in secret. I will be using [Teleport] to put the both of you inside the Academy's Library. Hopefully, by this point, the commoners and staff would be too busy catering to the two princesses to leave that place alone. Once you've acquired the item, leave and appear outside of the Academy's walls. I will transport you then back to the castle. Also, Saito, Wardes permits you to use your sword if necessary."

A grim expression entered Saito's face.

"Wait, hold on, the people there are just commoners, students, and teachers. We just can't harm them!" Matilda protested. A sour expression was on Matilda's face.

"Cromwell's orders. He had apparently expected something like this to happen. Besides, didn't you advertise yourself as someone who could harm innocents without blinking an eye?"

Matilda flinched at the retort, and Saito could see her eyes look conflicted. Nevertheless, she continued to protest.

"But the Staff of Destruction is locked away with a spell that only a Square Mage could break!"

"That boy's sword can absorb magic, right? That was according to what the thing preached about anyway."

Saito's complexion paled as he'd glared angrily at Derf. "Damn it, you and your babbling mouth!" He shouted at the sword, who had nothing to retort for once.

"Just a warning. You must succeed this mission. If you do not, Reconquista will siege Tristain's Academy of Magic just for the Staff of Destruction. I'll drop you somewhere in the academy." He paled. The idea of students being burned alive, and blowing up from Reconquista's insane soldiers made him sick.

"Hopefully, I do this right. Really haven't used this with other people. My apologies if any of your organs explode, or limbs go missing. Now go, **[Teleport]**."

He was about to retort about that _dangerous_ remark, but his vision turned blurry and everything went in spirals. He swore that he vomited sometime during the spell, but he honestly couldn't tell. The next time he saw when his vision was cleared was that they were in the back of a bookshelf. He watched as Matilda struggled for a while.

"Damnit, no warning at all," she angrily whispered, and Saito was inclined to agree. He leaned out of the bookshelf to check if the coast was clear. He instantly pulled his head back behind the shelf with growing horror in his chest.

There were four students sat at the table not far from them.

* * *

 **Mipha**

As the cheering died down and Colbert announced the next person to perform, the ex-Zora's ears caught wind of some whispers being carried from the audience. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she'd leaned forward to try and hear them better. She huffed from frustration when she still couldn't hear them. She had focused all her time, resources, and energy to mastering her ability to freely manipulate water that she had forgotten to test her affinity with other elements. She glanced to her side and wondered if the Crown Princess had an affinity for wind magic. She had read that wind magic users can hear things from several yards away by bending the winds to their will. Although the results weren't always satisfactory, reports said that it had been enough to develop a general idea of what the people from afar were talking about. As much as she'd wanted to possibly ask for a favour from Henrietta to hear what the crowd was whispering about, she decided not to. _If she heard some odd_ _rumour_ _, it'd be hard to explain that._ While Mipha hadn't the ability to hear what the crowd was whispering to one another, that hadn't meant that Mipha was incapable of guessing what they were whispering about.

Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she had to withhold a frown from breaking into her lips. As much as she'd hated to think about the idea, she had an inkling that the audience was talking about Louise's "familiar" Mira. Truly, it made sense. Ever since the day she had been summoned, Mipha could still hear students gossip about how Louise, of all people, summoned a _human_ for a familiar. Of course, they wouldn't believe such a thing so easily despite the earlier p resence of Mipha's runes on her hand. She, during one of her breaks in the Siesta's room, even heard from the maid that Louise _supposedly_ paid the princess to "act as the pinkette's familiar" during the duration of her stay. It was no wonder then, that the students were easily able to accept Mipha as an actual princess, and how there were no issues that arose involving Mipha's apparent line of royalty. It gave Louise and Mipha a lot of breathing space and relief out of the countless plans they made to deal with the fallout. However, that still meant that despite all the progress and achievements the pinkette had made for the past months, there were still few people who doubted her capabilities. Despite how important this issue was, none of the people in Mipha's group brought the topic up. The princess didn't know if it was out of consideration for Louise, or sympathy for the situation she was in.

 _At least we won't have to move to Albion anymore,_ the princess thought dryly as she shook her head and cleared off her thoughts about the topic. She couldn't afford to get distracted, especially since her dear friends had still yet to perform on stage. She brought herself back to reality as she'd glanced up and schooled her expression- only to see Guiche posing with his mole on stage. She stifled a laugh that threatened to escape her lips after seeing such a comedic sight from the young blond. As fabulous as the two of them looked, they certainly weren't going to win this competition.

"Ah, you finally look less troubled," Henrietta said from the side. Mipha smiled ruefully at the Crown Princess as she'd turned to speak with her. "My apologies, princess. I've shown a terrible visage to you, despite the ongoing event." Henrietta shook her head and directed a warm smile at Mipha. "Please, just call me Henrietta. You haven't offended me in the slightest, I'm simply worried instead." The ex-Zora realized that she should've schooled her expression more. Mipha returned the Crown Princess' kindness with a smile equal the warmth she was being given. "Then, call me Mipha. I'm grateful for your worry, and you needn't worry longer. I was simply caught with my thoughts about the recent events concerning my current caretaker, Louise," she admitted honestly. She watched as her counterpart's eyebrows go up her bangs and stared at her with wide and surprised eyes.

"Truly? Then, would it be possible for me to ask favour?" she whispered as her expression turned a complete 180. Her warm visage had turned into something serious, and her eyes were filled with so much yearning and hope that it physically shocked Mipha. She couldn't refuse Henrietta; the ex-Zora just knew that. "Regardless of you asking or not, I've planned to bring you to her quarters either way," Mipha whispered back and gave Henrietta the most comforting smile that she could in the current situation. The latter smiled so brightly that Mipha would've sworn that she had been blinded for a second. "Thank you," she said as she'd turned her attention back to the competition. Mipha did so as well, since it was rude to speak with each other before a contestant.

Then again, the current contestant _was_ Guiche, so Mipha hadn't felt particularly guilty about it. As much of a friend and a gentleman Guiche had become, he was still somewhat of a bumbling "charismatic" child. She knew that the young blond wouldn't take it personally if Mipha had been distracted for a bit. In fact, she could still see the blond was still posing for the ladies in the audience, and was abruptly put to a stop by Colbert announcing that his time was up. He did a quick bow to the audience before leaving the stage. The bald professor's exasperation was visible for all to see. It caused many from the audience to chuckle softly from the professor's plight. He then announced the next person to perform, who coincidentally had been Montmorency. Fortunately, their performance was at least an _actual_ performance with the blonde playing some sort of instrument alongside her frog. Mipha watched the pair with wonder as she'd never seen people perform like that before. Surely, she had seen some Hylians' and her own domain's dancing, but never had she heard music accompany the dancing in this fashion. The performance ended not too long later, and before Mipha even noticed, the morning segment had been over after several performances by the students.

In the redhead's eyes, the performances of the students were nothing to laugh at. Their acts spoke volumes about their efforts for the exhibition; perhaps to capture the eyes and be offered an opportunity by the Crown Princess herself. She had seen a few familiars do complicated stunts possibly meant for battle which caused her to frown in remembrance. She had forgotten that during her time with Louise and the others, the world she was currently in wasn't exactly a forgiving one. Wars had come and go, and, despite the time of peace Tristain was currently in, there were still looming threats just on the horizon. Having become the "Representative of Zora", she was briefed about the current situation of other states by the Headmaster just a day after the Mott incident. Relations with the surrounding kingdoms weren't the friendliest, and there was an apparent rebellion happening in Albion. The Crown Princess was having a tough time dealing with the situation, as she opposed greatly to marrying the current ruler of Germania to strengthen the ties.

Truly, being a princess that held the burden of the country wasn't the best. Mipha could testify with that when she was entrusted with the duty to operate the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

A break was called for the crowd and contestants in order for them to eat lunch, while the rest prepare for the afternoon segment. _Still, for to the contest to begin again by 2 in the afternoon. It's just 11 in the morning, you know?_ Mipha thought as she'd glanced at the mounted clock on the wall for the staff to tell the time with. She sighed, and turned her gaze at the moving crowd. When she noticed Louise, Montmorency, Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche leaving to join the crowd, she gave them a wave which they happily returned. Even more so by Louise, who was still smiling the brightest she had ever seen from the pinkette.

"It seems like you have a good relationship with them," Henrietta remarked beside her. The princess nodded at her remark, and turned to her. "Yes. They provided me company during my stay here." Henrietta smiled sadly after hearing what Mipha said. Obviously, the smaller and demurer princess panicked and was about to ask what was wrong. Henrietta shook her head. "It's merely nothing. I hadn't the luck to befriend peers of my age, nor any luck to spend any time outside. I'm sorry, I admit I felt jealous after seeing that," the Crown Princess bitterly spoke. Mipha's eyes widened before she gently narrowed them down out of sadness for Henrietta. She reached her hand out and held the other princess' arm gently- an act she had done several times to comfort Sidon in the rare times her timid sibling needed comfort. "Well, if it's any consolation, I do believe you're having the luck of both right now." _Even though we aren't the same age at all!_ Mipha added in her mind. At that moment, Henrietta's eyes brightened and looked as if she was0 struck by lightning. A smile that rivaled Louise's formed on her lips. Unfortunately, their little moment was cut short as several footsteps had caught both of the princess' attention. It caused both to turn and face the incoming servants.

The servants had trays of meals on their arms; others were carrying tables, cloth, and utensils. Some even had candles in their hands, as well as a few wine bottles. Mipha blinked at the sight, especially as they gracefully curtsied at the two of them. The man who seemed to be leading the servants walked closer and performed a well-mannered bow. He was a burly man, towering over the rest of the servants and wore a white pristine chef's jacket that seemed to be recently scrubbed clean. His sleeves were rolled up and the red neckerchief had wear. It spoke of the great time he'd spent on the academy. As he rose from his bow, he turned to Mipha first, and immediately, the princess wished to flee after seeing those devout eyes that she had grown all too familiar with. She jumped a bit from her chair when he suddenly approached her, with hands out to reach her. He spoke "my Goddess- urk!" before the man yelped as he was kicked in the back by one of the servants. A soft gasp of alarm escaped the lips of the Crown Princess beside her, but Mipha chuckled nervously as she'd recognized the servant as Siesta. The maid winked at the princess before she bowed in apology.

"I apologize for his behaviour. He has been wishing for a chance to meet Princess Mipha since the day she became popular in the academy. He was simply overcome by his emotions upon seeing her," Siesta spoke so fluently that Mipha felt a rising pride well up in her chest for the brunette. "Think nothing of it?" Henrietta forgave with no small amounts of confusion, accompanied by an equally confused smile. Siesta thanked her for her graciousness, as she'd quickly looked to the side and discreetly let out a sigh of relief. Mipha tilted her head in confusion when she saw the action, before she looked to the side herself. There was that Lynel girl who had her eyes narrowed at the servants. Chills shot down her spine when she saw the scene, and she idly tensed her grip on her trident without noticing. She felt someone tap her shoulder which caused her to turn to Henrietta.

"Does that happen frequently?" she asked. Her confusion hadn't faded, yet there were traceable amounts of amusement in her tone. _Thankfully_ , Henrietta also noticed Agnès, and waved a hand for her to stand down. It was a good sign for Mipha since at least she knew that the princess was still in a good mood. The redhead nodded. "It happens _too_ frequently actually, although it's embarrassing for me to admit… You get used to it," Mipha responded as she'd stared at Siesta drag the chef away from the leg. She still felt bad about letting Siesta and the others manhandle the people who only wished to speak with her, but there was simply nothing she could do to convince them to leave her admirers alone. "At least it beats getting chased around all day and hiding out in the most random places," Mipha joked at Henrietta who only looked at her innocently.

 _It seems my joke didn't quite hit the mark,_ she thought. Perhaps she should learn more jokes to crack the ice in the future. "Ah, during the first week I was, uhm, publicly recognized here, I was, erm, ah, chased around by my admirers," Mipha stammered. Henrietta chuckled softly and responded "I can somehow relate. It was difficult having to turn down a few offers for my hand in marriage". Siesta's voice brought the two princesses again out of their short conversation. Mipha watched as the servants put the essentials down before them. Mipha didn't like the fact that table was _huge_. The teasing grin on Siesta's face didn't help her growing dread either.

"Your Highnesses, we've prepared a course that will hopefully suit your tastes. While simple meals, we have made them with the utmost best ingredients we had in store, as well as cooked to perfection without a second spared during the process. We hope that you enjoy them," she said as she'd curtsied once again. As if timed, the other maids and butlers moved forward and presented them their meals. With the amount of meals on the trays, Mipha paled. During her time as a Zora, her body was so structurally different from the others that she hadn't the need to eat as much as a Hylian, Gerudo, or Rito had to. During her time in Tristain, she discovered that her Hylian body acted nearly the same. While, admittedly, she had a bigger appetite than the time when she was a Zora, she still hadn't eaten as much as the males, nor Kirche and Louise. She wasn't going to be able to eat all of them, not at all! She turned to Siesta frantically, hoping to find some solace from the brunette. When she saw the teasing smile directed at her, Mipha couldn't help but feel despair. _I'm going to have to eat all of this!_ She barely noticed the confused expression Henrietta was giving her and the servants.

"Firstly, we present the Hors d'oeuvre-" Siesta's words were cut off from Mipha's hearing, but the maid continued to speak regardless. She was only brought back to reality when a plate was placed before her. "Uhm, Mipha, are you not good with these many meals?" Mipha sighed in relief when Henrietta pointed out the obvious. She turned to Henrietta with the hope of a comrade who could save her from having to eat a full course meal. Of course, that hope crashed and burned when she noticed the Crown Princess was also paler than usual. "D-don't tell me…" As the Crown Princess slowly nod her affirmation, Mipha hung her head in resignation.

"Well, at least we got each other," Henrietta quipped. Mipha chuckled softly and rose her head. She set her trident to lean against the table for now. It was going to take some time to eat these dishes, so she might as well get started.

* * *

 **Louise**

She greatly enjoyed the blowing winds and the warm sun beating down on her skin as she'd sat down with, dare she say it, friends. They were around a tea-table with cups of tea, and a light lunch. A servant would come to check on them once in a while for a refill. Guiche and Montmorency were flirting as usual, and Kirche sat across her. For the first time, the busty redhead was being pleasant with her and the teasing was absent. The redhead was actually trying to hold a proper conversation for once. _I guess she's just trying to keep things peaceful since she doesn't have anyone to talk to right now._ Tabitha had excused herself to prepare Sylphid for the competition after all. Whatever the reason, Louise didn't mind. "Honestly, I couldn't believe that you had that cuteness in you, dear Louise! How did you manage to train Mira so well in just a short time as well?" At Kirche's question, Louise felt proud for herself and raised her chest up as she'd answered. "Well, I spent a whole day learning more about Mira and getting her to know me better. I admit I had help from Siesta, but most of the training was done by me!" she answered and waited for praise. Instead, she was met with a surprised look from Kirche. The latter was blinking at the pinkette, and the former felt uncomfortable for being stared at for too long.

"Wait, you had help from Siesta? And you're _admitting_ it?" Kirche asked incredulously. By the way Kirche had worded the question, Louise felt offended by her question and her prominent scowl had formed on her lips. She disliked the way how Kirche's question was insinuating that Siesta was a mere commoner and hadn't the capability to help her. "What, is there something wrong to admitting that I had help? Siesta was a great instructor too, you know!" she hotly defended the maid. Her little outburst had gotten the attention of some people in the area, especially Guiche and Montmorency who were staring at Louise. They were obviously displeased that their flirting session was interrupted, but at the moment, Louise couldn't give a coin for their issue. Kirche shook her head vehemently along with the waving of her hands.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong about it! It's just- it surprised me to see you admit being helped by Siesta so readily. You've really changed, Louise," Kirche said as she'd smiled happily at the pinkette. Louise huffed to relieve her frustration, but she could feel the warmth of her cheeks from embarrassment that followed after. "What's changed with me? I've never been different, and I've always known to credit the people who helped me. It'll be a disgrace to my honour as a noble if I discredited the help I've received!" The redhead laughed happily. Before Louise could even react, her face was shoved right in between the Germanian's bosom. She let out her complaint from the action and she flailed to get away from the bigger redhead. Of course, it wasn't as if Louise minded the hug, she just didn't like receiving one in public. "Hey, let me go, you brute!" she shouted but her voice was muffled by the clothes. Laughter entered her eyes, and she could feel her face heat up from embarrassment. Thankfully, the redhead let her go a second later. It allowed the pinkette to straighten her hair and clothes to save her face as a noble. She huffed and turned her head to the side to show her displeasure.

"Oh, come on Louise, don't be like that. We're all friends here!"

"Maybe for you, Zerbst," Louise answered. Kirche laughed, and took it by stride. That annoyed Louise further that her counterpart just wouldn't take her words seriously sometimes.

"Kirche has a point, Louise. Before, you wouldn't have tried to react to our banters the way you would now, and never have you tried to interact with commoners," Montmorency joined in the conversation, surprising Kirche, Louise, and Guiche. Louise blinked at Montmorency before she smiled. She had already long come into terms with the fact that Mipha had influenced her, and she had changed for the better. In fact, she liked her new way of life. She was surrounded by people she could call friends, and now she had the ability to prove that she was a mage. "I guess I have. You have Mipha to thank for that," she joked. Kirche snorted while Montmorency smiled warmly at the pinkette before a serious visage took over.

"I'm sorry for the times I've bullied you, Louise. It wasn't right taking my frustrations and feelings of inferiority at you. Learning that there was someone else who wasn't doing better than me had led my head to grow too big," she said as she'd bowed her head at the pinkette. The sudden apology and action shocked the circle. A noble bowing to another was usually a sign of complete subservience to the other. _To do so in public-_ "I'm sorry that I've been unfai-"

"You're forgiven already, you've proven yourself when you helped us to save Siesta!" Louise panicked to stop the blonde from saying any further. To Louise, she had long forgiven Montmorency, Guiche, and Kirche ever since the Mott incident. Still, to receive an apology from her blonde counterpart, it filled her chest with indescribable warmth and glee. She heard a whistle by her side, and she turned to Kirche. "For both blonds to apologize to you, Louise, it seems like you have a knack for making people with yellow hair apologize!" She teased. Both Guiche's and Montmorency's faces went red at her statement, but didn't say anything to refute it. The silence that followed was uncomfortable for the group. Kirche, who had seen that her joke hadn't quite hit the mark, started to stutter words out to keep the conversation going. Thankfully, the only guy in the group broke the silence.

"Louise, can I have your permission to see Mipha on the weekends?"

Another silence followed, but it was for a different reason. This time around, the silence was caused by Guiche's words stupefying the females in the group. It took a while for them to digest his words, and once it did, Montmorency went red with rage. Kirche began to laugh, and Louise was more confused than anything. "W-wait, haven't you vowed not to see Mipha romantically?!" she and her blonde counterpart screeched at nearly the same time. Guiche merely blinked for a second. Half a second later, he immediately paled. Honestly, Louise wondered just how Guiche could do his expressions so well.

"No, I meant it in a way if she could train me! I mean, I've once seen how Mipha would train you in the early mornings with your swordsmanship, so I thought that maybe I could do the same?"

"Then say that first, you idiot!" Montmorency screamed as she'd hit Guiche at the back of his head. The blond apologized profusely to his partner, and began to sweet talk her to calm her down. Louise let out an exasperated sigh as she'd watched how well it worked. _I swear, these two would be the end of someone one day. Still, for Guiche to ask for help from Mipha-_

"Ah, speaking of which, Louise, does Mipha still train you for your reflexes?"

It was Kirche who asked the question. Louise turned her attention to the Germanian, who suddenly had a serious expression on her face. The pinkette sighed as she'd thought about the past few days. Surprisingly, despite how much the princess emphasized that Louise should always hone her reflexes, the former hadn't trained her in weeks on that category. _Then again, both of us have been busy. It must've slipped her mind._

"No. How could we really, with all these stupid nobles chasing her around like a bunch of dogs in heat," Louise grumbled as she'd leaned against her chair. As much as she'd hated to admit it, she _did_ miss her training sessions with Mipha. All she had done with her for the past month was hide from the nobles, learn magic, and that was it. There was a strange feeling of excitement about dodging 3 sharpened prongs that threatened to either lop her head off, or skewer her into a Louise-kebab. She could only idly notice Kirche nod at the side as she'd remembered the very few sessions she had with the princess. Then suddenly, her intuition told her to duck. She followed her intuition and she could feel a burst of wind and sail across her head. As she sat back up with alarm, she saw Kirche with her arm stretched to the side, and a satisfied smile on her face.

"Good. Even though you haven't been training on that regard, it seems that your reflexes still seem to be in place. Sorry for surprising you there, Louise. I wouldn't want Mipha's work turn for nothing!" Kirche apologized good-naturedly. The pinkette let her alarm down, and she rolled her eyes at the redhead's behaviour.

"Gee, I'm happy to know that the one time I could use my reflexes was to dodge a swipe from you," she said sarcastically. This time, it was Kirche who rolled her eyes.

"You would never know! Your reflexes could save you, especially since you actually retained them after not training for a few months."

"Yeah, well, it certainly hadn't saved me from avoiding you. Maybe I should ask Mipha to train me some more."

"Hey, that's cold!"

"Uhm, Louise, about my request?" A timid voice broke the banter between the two. Louise turned to Guiche, who was staring at the two of them with a troubled expression. _Ah, right. His request._ She thought about it. _Well, I guess Mipha could need something to do rather than hiding from nobles all day. This way, someone could watch after her. I doubt Montmorency would leave Guiche alone with Mipha._ Louise gave in eventually.

"Sure, I'll let her know. Just don't do anything funny to her, and it'll be fine," Louise warned Guiche while she playfully pulled her wand out and started waving it around. If it was possible for Guiche to become paler than he was earlier, then he certainly had gone several colours lighter. "I-I won't. I'll bring Montmorency whenever I train with her." Louise nodded in affirmation as she'd put her wand aside again. The blond sighed in relief as he'd taken a sip at his cup.

"Still, it's taking them quite a long time to prepare the afternoon segment. I guess this is when the ones with true talent shall perform?" Kirche asked with a sly smile directed at Louise. The pinkette scoffed at the redhead. "If that's true, then I fear for your performance then. Shouldn't you be preparing like Tabitha?"

"No, no, Flame and I have already long prepared for this competition! Right now, we're just relaxing. Right, Flame?" Kirche called out to her familiar. A reptile noise came out from the mouth of the salamander who was sat a few ways away from them. Louise gave a brief glance to the familiars, who were all resting at the grass. Verdante, Flame, Mira, and Robin were all huddled close to each other. Surprisingly, Mira had no problems with the small group of familiars, so Louise hadn't been handling her. It sort of frustrated Louise that she had to trouble herself of where to place Mira in the early morning when she could've introduced her to the rest of the group all along.

"Now that we're at the topic of familiars, just what have you done, Louise? How in the world do you have two familiars at the same time? I mean, sure, it's better this way than let the entire population know that Mipha's not only your _true_ familiar, but also a _royalty_. Still, it begs the question- how did you do it?" Montmorency asked the pinkette. Before Louise could answer, the blonde began to speak even further. "There's no trace of water or wind magic around Mira, but there's still _magic_ on her. In fact, it's super concentrated on the spot on her forehead, where a replica of Mipha's familiar runes are visible." A frown entered Montmorency's lips as she pulled her wand out.

"It's not even something that you could've done with ink or magical ink either as it looks eerily embedded on the bunbun's forehead. I mean, sure, I know a few spells of using water to make images, but they could only be done as mere reflections." As if to prove a point, Montmorency began chanting a spell, and water was taken from the teacups. While the water was still slightly a dirty brown due to the influence of the tea leaves, the people around the table could still see their own reflections. She ended her chant with a [lull the water, set aside], and the tea water has gone back to where it was. She put her wand aside. "And this spell took me _years_ to learn. Yours transcends a reflection. In fact, I could only classify it as a reflection if Mipha was here, but she's obviously isn't. So, how did you do it, Louise?"

The pinkette hadn't really realized this, but she was shocked at the amount of detail and deduction skills Montmorency was capable of. Really, it struck a chord inside her. The blonde's words of apology replayed in her mind, and she could remember a phrase the latter had uttered: "learning that there was someone else who wasn't doing better than me". _Is she like me, then- a person who caught up by studying almost religiously in order to cope up with their lackings?_ She hadn't noticed, but a bright smile entered her lips. It felt good to be recognized by someone else, and be so incredibly interested with her. However, there was also the risk. _Should I tell them that I'm a void user?_ If word spread out that she was a void user, all attention would shift from Mipha to her. While she was sure that no harm would come to her due to Mipha being by her side, and her mother being _Karin the Heavy Wind_ , she would still be a person faced with utmost scrutiny. She stared at Montmorency, who seemed to be getting more impatient by the second, and then to Guiche and Kirche; both of which seemed to be uninterested with the conversation, but the way they positioned their ears towards her said otherwise.

She thought about it. These people were ones who went through that _hell_ with her, and never had they spoken or spread the word that Mipha was royalty immediately the moment they learned of the truth. The logical side of her told her that she should just keep this a secret. By keeping the fact that she was a void user a secret, she would ensure the safety of not only her family, but also Mipha and her friends. However, by keeping them in the dark, once word spread that Louise was a void user, she would only have Mipha, Colbert, and possibly Tabitha to rely to. She didn't wish to burden three people about this, especially since they were the ones who were supportive of Louise all the way. She still hadn't managed to thank Tabitha for all the work she does to repair the rooms she and Mipha had used during their magic sessions as well.

 _I shouldn't tell them, but I just couldn't rely to the three of them._

Louise also didn't want to keep running away from reality anymore. She was a _void mage_ , and nothing else would disprove it. Colbert had confirmed it with his theory, and Mipha confirmed it with evidence. She wanted to be proud of her magical affinity, but, at the same time, she was afraid by the implications of it.

"-ise, Louise?"

Kirche's shaking temporarily brought Louise out of her thoughts. Her three companions were staring at her with worry.

"If it's not something that you can talk about, it's fine. We can ask about it on another day," comforted Kirche. The fact that it was the _Zerbst_ comforting her had been enough to completely halt all of her thoughts and focus on the present situation. _Now that I think of it, it was her that told Mipha to take care of me when I had that fit months ago, huh._ There was the same comforting tone in Kirche's voice that made Louise realized that the Germanian just really liked messing with her and didn't wish ill upon her.

Hearing the comfort and seeing the worry on their faces, Louise made her decision.

"I have something to tell you, but it's not something we should talk about here," Louise spoke out softly. Even though she hadn't spent the same amount of time with Guiche and Montmorency as she had with Tabitha, Siesta and Kirche, she still felt enough trust for them. After all, they hadn't spoken anything out against her, and they did support Mipha to save Siesta. She watched in worry as the three of them looked at each other. She breathed out in relief after they nodded.

"Flame, look after the familiars. The library should be completely empty by now. There shouldn't be any staff or personnel overlooking the place. We could talk there. Plus, the Wind Mages had recently soundproofed the place from the inside and outside! Something about how Louise's explosions were disturbing the readers. Remember when you had your fit during the night, Louise?" Kirche said as she stood from her seat. Louise shuddered at the memory. That had been a rough first week for her when she suspected Mipha was an elf, and how she was going to be killed.

 _So, my actions really do have consequences. Well, I guess it worked out in my favour in the end._

"Will we be fine though? There's still the afternoon segment that we need to watch," Montmorency asked worriedly, but followed suit regardless.

"It'll be fine! I bet Tabitha and Mipha would understand, and I doubt any of us would win against Tabitha anyway. Besides, we also still have time before the afternoon segment starts. They said it should start 2 in the noon anyway, and it's just 11 in the morning! We totally have time to spare," Kirche said with a grin.

"It was 11 in the morning a few or maybe even several minutes ago. I think it might be 12 now, if you look at the sun," Guiche called out. Kirche waved his worries off.

"It'll be fine! We'll be notified if the event will begin again anyway with a sound or something. Probably."

 _How I envy your carefree attitude,_ Louise thought to herself, but didn't dare speak her thoughts out loud. She gratefully smiled at the three of them, and let Kirche lead the way. Their trek to the library was mostly silent, but the silence seemed to develop a form of pressure for Louise. Every step she took, the more she questioned her decision to tell her friends about the fact she was a void mage. She would be essentially enlisting them to their deaths as they would have to answer for hiding a void user from the general public; especially to the holy church. When they finally stepped into the library, the pressure only got worse. Kirche and Montmorency seemed to have felt her stress as the pinkette could feel too hands supporting her from the sides. She turned to the two and gave them grateful smiles.

 _My decision shouldn't be wrong._

The four people walked towards the closest set of table and chairs and sat down. Kirche sat beside her, while Montmorency and Guiche sat across them. Fortunately, Kirche had been correct. The library was definitely abandoned, even though there was a strange earthy smell inside. She hadn't bothered raising the point, as right now, she was focusing on raising one that was more important.

"Mipha and I have only confirmed this today, but I've always had doubts about it. I didn't know how to deal with this kind of information. Colbert had told me about this before, and I have entertained this idea for only a few times before throwing it away with how outlandish the idea was." The three people looked at her with anticipation as she'd stopped momentarily. She closed her eyes, and evened out her breathing to settle down her inner turmoil. _This is it, Louise. Don't falter._ She opened her eyes, and she saw them flinch. Before she even realized, her mouth opened to deliver her words.

"I'm a Void Ma-"

"Louise, look out!"

"Wha-?" Louise's word was cut off as she was suddenly pushed to the side. She slammed into the floor, and she indignantly sat up and was ready to shout at Kirche. However, before she even could, she saw a mud ball slam into the side of Kirche's head and the Germanian collapsed to the floor.

"Mont-!"

"Kirche!" Louise shouted in horror as she'd hurriedly moved to the redhead's side and inspected her for damage. Thankfully, she was just unconscious and there was no bleeding from the skull. She looked to the side to see if Guiche and Montmorency were doing okay, and she saw the blonde also collapsed on the floor. Guiche was shaking her and shouting at her to get up before turning to the pinkette. He looked like he was about to say something to her, before his face twisted in horror. Louise didn't need to hear Guiche's shout to know that there was someone behind her. She quickly rolled to the side, and quickly turned to face the attacker. Their attacker seemed to be a young boy with a lean build. He held a rusty sword in his hand, and his face was hidden by his hood. However, she could see black hair peeking out of it-

Hair that was similar in colour to Siesta's. Her eyes widened, before she quickly shook off the possibility. There was no way this person was Siesta. The chest was too small!

 _Wait, that's not the point!_

She heard the stranger click his tongue as he'd rushed at Louise with the back of his blade rushing at her. The pinkette quickly leaned back to avoid the blade from hitting her. She used her falling momentum to kick the stranger, who replied in kind by holding her leg. Louise panicked because she wasn't expecting the man to actually hold her leg. "Hey, let go you dog!" she shouted as she'd pulled her wand out.

"Steel, flawless and firm, **[Conjure Sword]**!" A shout took the stranger's attention away from Louise. The pinkette turned as well to see Guiche conjuring a sword by manipulating the properties of his rose petals. While she knew that the sword Guiche was holding was no better than a wooden sword as he'd lacked any dirt or soil to work on, she admired the fact that this _blond_ would even brandish a sword against the stranger. "Let her go, you mugger!" He shouted as he'd rushed Louise's attacker. The pinkette yelped as the boy nonchalantly tossed her to the side. Once again, her body slammed into the floor as she'd gasped from the pain. She had let go of her wand in the process, and she could only watch in horror as the wand slid across the floor from her. She turned around to see how well Guiche was fairing with the stranger.

He wasn't doing well. Louise watched as their attacker toyed around with Guiche. He easily dodged the amateur-ish swings from the blond, and repaid in kind with the back of his sword. Despite it all, however, the young blond still stood tall. "You hurt Montmorency, and my friends, but most importantly, _my Montmorency!_ " He shouted as he'd rushed at the man again. The man seemed to have had enough as he'd simply stepped to the side and tripped Guiche. The latter fell to the floor with an undignified fashion.

At that moment, Louise's cheeks were drained of blood. She frantically crawled and four-walked her way to her wand. When she reached her wand, she grabbed it and turned around just to see the stranger get closer to Guiche. Kirche's voice rang in her head.

 _ **The moment you get up close to him, he would just yield, and the battle would be over then.**_

Guiche frantically turned around and swung his wooden sword. The man just watched the boy, and, in a quick motion, grabbed the wooden sword with his open hand. The sword easily broken in the stranger's head, and fear appeared in Guiche's eyes.

"I yield, I yield!" he shouted.

 _ **But that doesn't work in a real duel.**_

Mipha's words rang in her head as she'd watched the man simply raise his sword. Guiche started shouting in horror, and crying his eyes out. Louise frantically looked at the door way, and was honestly wondering why had no one arrived to their help with the amount of noise Guiche was making. The small sliver of wind currents blocking the door answered her question as she paled further in remembrance.

 _The library's soundproof!_

She turned in horror as the sword came down at Guiche.

 _ **It would only get you killed.**_

" **[Fireball]**!" Louise screeched at the top of her lungs. She didn't wish to see someone die before her, not when she had the power. She didn't wish to become powerless again. She had long gotten sick of that feeling for the past years. However, in her panicked state, the **[Fireball** **]** she had shot was several times weaker than she wished it to be. She watched as her spell blast right at the stranger.

If only life were that simple.

"Pardn'er, behind you!" she had heard a metallic voice shout just moments before she finished her spell. The stranger turned fast enough to put the sword before him. She just watched in shock as light began to permeate from the sword, and her spell be absorbed into the blade. A bright light engulfed the area, but unfortunately not bright enough to potentially alert the people outside. Once the light died down, the once bronze sword seemed to be completely polished and brand new. Louise could only continue to watch on in horror. "That took a beating out of me. Pardn'er, I'd really appreciate it if you were to take watch of your surroundings," the same metallic voice called out. She couldn't really tell where the voice was as she'd frantically looked around. Once she did, she saw another mage just on the far corner of the library, chanting a spell. She panicked as she saw several mudballs form in the air. She pointed her wand upwards as she'd quickly shouted her spell.

" **[Air Shield]**!" A visible force erected itself in front of Louise, taking its form in several crystal-like structures. The mudball shot forward at Louise, but the moment they touched the shield, they disintegrated. There was a very visible look of shock at the caster, who seemed female judging from the long green hair that flowed out of her hood. She turned her attention at Guiche, who had managed to crawl away and slowly stood up again. He had somehow created another sword during the time she had set up her shield. However, she could see bits and pieces of stone on it this time. She looked down, and noticed that a good amount of floor was missing from the library.

For the first time since the Mott incident, she was angry. _How dare these people!_ She slowly stood up as she'd decided to face off the mage while Guiche held the other man back. She heard two swords clash behind her as she'd put her wand up to apprehend the other mage.

"Grime and dust, beckon my call, **[Mud Shot]**!"

" **[Fireball]**!"

Obviously, Louise had shot her spell first. However, she made sure to control her spell so that it wouldn't cause great damage to the library, and would be enough to incapacitate her target. She and Mipha had, after all, worked hard enough for her to reach that point. Unfortunately, that caused a slight delay on her spell to shot off, so her enemy mage was able to dodge in time. She had also dodged the incoming mudballs as she'd rolled out of the way.

She pointed her wand again, and another **[Fireball]** escaped her lips. The staff shot forward another burst of light that caused a small explosion upon impact. This time, her opponent had not the time to react as the blast caused her to stumble backwards. Seizing the opportunity, Louise rushed forward while picking out the empty bookshelves in the room. This would be the first time that she would use **[Levitation]** on multiple things at once.

" **[Levitation]**!" she chanted as she'd pointed her wand at two empty bookshelves. If what Mipha had told her was right, and that she was actually controlling these objects, then she would easily be able to propel them towards the attacker. That she did, as she'd watched two bookshelves sail by her sides to strike at her target.

"Earth, bring forth from the ground, **[Earth Wall]**!" Her enemy chanted as she'd managed to pull up a good amount of floor to create a wall. This, unfortunately, caused Louise to slip to the ground as the floor she was stepping on got pulled towards the wall.

"How come no one's coming here to check the commotion?!" she heard Guiche shout. She turned around to see Guiche was still being overpowered by his opponent. At best, he was just being bait for reinforcements to come. It was painfully obvious for Louise as well that the boy was holding back. If he had truly wanted to kill them, he would've done so already.

"Idiot, have you forgotten that the library has been soundproofed?!" Louise shouted at the blond.

"-all, **[Dull Terre Blitz]**!" Louise turned around just in time to chant another **[Air Shield]** to protect herself from the incoming mudballs. Just like before, the balls had disintegrated, but the moment she put the shield down, her eyes widened.

There were additional stalactites coming her way. She frantically chanted another **[Air Shield]** , but two stalactites had hit her left shoulder and right leg. The one that hit her right leg had caused her to fall to the floor. She gasped in pain as the incoming projectiles disintegrated before her. Thankfully, the stalactites that hit her were all dull edged, so none of them had pierced through her clothes. A similar thud echoed behind her as she'd looked back to see Guiche had collapsed to the floor. His body seemed battered, and whatever exposed skin there was were filled to the brim with bruises. She panicked as the boy, who had finally put Guiche unconscious, walked towards her.

"Funny how a student managed to give you so much trouble," the caster on the other side of the room teased. The boy simply shrugged.

"It was difficult to knock him unconscious. I'm trained to use the bladed edge, not the back end of my blade, you know," he replied, surprisingly in good nature. Louise raised her wand, but the boy immediately closed the distance. He had slapped the wand away from Louise's hand with the side of the blade, but the tip of the sword managed to cut through her skin. She held herself from shouting in pain again as she felt the newly opened wound on underside of her right arm. "Damnit. Sorry, I wasn't aiming to slash you," the boy apologized. Louise glared hatefully at the man.

"What are you doing here, what do you want?!" Louise shouted at the top of her lungs in hopes of attracting the attention of the people outside.

"Now, now, young girl. That's a secret," she heard the other mage say. She glared hatefully at the mage.

 _I'm not going down without a fight._

Louise got up and rushed towards her wand. She unconsciously ducked as she reached her wand, and quickly swept her leg as she'd turned around. That had been apparently effective as she'd managed to knock the boy down to the floor. She raised her wand at the mage as she'd backpedaled, and let out another **[Fireball]**.

"Damn it, girl, when will you learn to quit?!" her opponent shouted as she'd dodged- right into Louise's spell. The pinkette had known that the only way to dodge her spell was for her target to see where her wand was pointing. She had used that to her advantage by making the distance between them larger to the point that her enemy couldn't see her wand very well. The caster's eyes widened as she'd been hit directly by the fireball and was thrown backwards into the wall. The hood was thrown back by the shockwave, but Louise couldn't see her face very well. All she could see was a mess of green hair. A loud _thump_ reverberated in the room as she saw that the impact had left a large-sized crater at the wall of the library. Despite that, her opponent _still_ managed to remain standing. She had quickly pulled her hood up, and raised her wand at the pinkette. "I didn't wish for things to get to this. Grime and dust, beckon my call-"

Louise's eyes widened when she heard her voice waver at the first sentence. Before she could think further, the boy had regained his footing and rushed her again with the back of his blade. She nimbly dodged to the side, and had picked up a nearby chair to smash at the boy. It had worked to stumble the boy around, and gave her enough time to put up another **[Air Shield]** to protect herself from the sudden influx of projectiles being shot at her. Louise cursed herself. Had she been more careful when she was practicing her spells, the library wouldn't have been soundproofed and she wouldn't have been in this position in the first place.

"Boy, can you absorb that annoying shield? I can't bind her like this if her spell keeps making my spells disintegrate!"

"I'll try!" The boy shouted as he'd rushed Louise again and pointed the sword at her. The sword had started to glow once it made contact with the shield, and Louise panicked.

" **[Fireball]**!" She shouted as she let out her spell at point blank. While the spell had managed to pass through the magic-absorbing sword, she had been caught by the blast that usually followed her spell once it hit the target. She had used lesser force this time, so she wouldn't be knocked back hard by the blast. Fortunately, it had done its job as she simply slammed into the floor instead of being knocked back into a wall. Heavy breaths left her tiny body as she'd had to proactively run around and cast spells frantically for the past few minutes. Stamina wasn't her strong suit, and the drain on her Willpower by using her spells one after another had started its toll. The moment's respite from fighting turned into her biggest disadvantage as her opponent walked towards her.

"From where it began, where it shall end, **[Earth Prison]** ," her enemy spoke as she'd pointed her wand at Louise. The sides of Louise suddenly rose and clasped her tight. The pinkette gasped for air as she was too tightly bound to move her limbs. She had to let go of her wand as her hands were starting to dig into it and her leg. It felt like she was being crushed and inside an oversized cocoon. "… I'm really sorry about this. We had no wishes to harm any of you," she heard her speak. Louise growled as she'd glared at her. It was the only thing she could do now after all.

"Don't blame yourself for losing. You certainly were good, and your spells were effective. It was only the matter of experience."

The mage snapped her fingers, and similarly earth binds had wrapped Louise's mouth and nose. "Don't worry. You will be released of your binds the moment you pass out." She could only watch with wide eyed fear as the mage and her companion watched her. She tried to scream in defiance, but her mouth had been covered enough to stop her from actually making any noise. In her smallest fleeting moments of consciousness, she decided to at least take a peek under their hoods while she was down.

She cursed the fact that she still couldn't see past the shadows that shrouded their faces. The expressions of their bitter and reluctant faces were imprinted in her mind, and she was honestly shocked. A few more seconds passed by, and things were starting to go dark. A tear left her eye as they slowly started to close.

 _Mipha… Help me…_

And everything went black for Louise.

* * *

 **Mipha**

Mipha had no idea how long it had been since lunch had begun, but now, her soul had long left her body. Having to eat 8 different and heavy dishes in a row took a toll on her, and so did Henrietta. Both princesses were struggling to even lift their forks as the servants and teachers- even the Lynel girl at the side- had stared at the two with worry.

"Mipha, can you still go on?" her fellow princess asked from beside her. She turned to Henrietta with a truly sad smile as she'd shook her head. Groans escaped both of their lips as they'd reluctantly sunk their forks on _one_ piece of chocolate cake. Now, don't get Mipha wrong. She truly enjoyed her meal, even if it was too much for her to handle. She knew about her authority to turn plates away very well. However, the expectant looks she got from what seemed to be the cooking staff, it was difficult to turn away the dishes. It seemed like Henrietta shared her plight as the more _gifted_ princess had eaten alongside her and never stopped for once. She was truly grateful for her company. If Henrietta weren't there, Mipha just knew that she would cry out of embarrassment.

She looked up at Siesta, who looked troubled. She seemed to be contemplating between stepping in to take the plates away, or keep watching the two suffer. _Please, for Nayru's sake, take the plates away,_ the redhead cried inside. Unfortunately for her, the maid seemed to have settled with thought process #1, and stuck in place. Mipha lowered her head in dismay. It looked like she was going to need to finish the cake after all. As she picked her fork up with the smallest bite piece of the cake on it, she suddenly felt her chest start to burn. She gasped as her open hand reached up and clutched the clothes on top of her runes.

"Mipha?! What's wrong?" Siesta's voice rang in her ears, but she couldn't quite hear her. Her vision tunneled as she could barely see her surroundings. The burn in her chest only got worse by the second as she'd dropped her fork in an effort to hide the runes that were starting to glow beneath. Her breathing hastened. _What, what's going-_

 _ **Mipha… Help me…**_

It was as if she was shot with lightning. Her vision cleared in an instant, and she felt the burn in her chest get stronger. Her breathing had stabilized in the same second, but beads of sweat still rolled down her temples. "Louise," Mipha whispered in worry. The voice she heard in her thoughts; she was certain that it came from the pinkette. No one else in the academy could speak to her in that way, and there was barely anyone else that Louise would turn to for help. Fear gripped her heart. She only realized that Louise's voice had sounded desperate and _in pain_. A tug in her mind caused her to rapidly turn her attention towards the main tower and stare through one of the windows. It was like a powerful spell had overcome her. It was telling her- _commanding her_ to go there. Well, regardless of the spell or not, Mipha would've oblidged. The ex-Zora immediately shot up from her seat and grabbed her trident from the side. Her sudden action surprised the people who were crowded around her. Without even excusing herself from them, jumped off the stage; ignoring the heavy weight in her stomach. From the moment she had landed, she swore she felt some heavy things toss in her stomach. Regardless, she ignored it. She could herself with her Grace later.

Louise needed help, and Mipha needed to be there for her.

She ran at her fastest and reached the building in record time. Her runes grew hotter, and, once she looked up, she looked at every open window of the tower. She didn't know why at the moment, but she could just pinpoint Louise. Once she had, she moved towards just underneath it. She looked up at the tower with fire burning in her eyes. She could just take the stairs, but it would only take her longer. She looked around to see if there were people around her. Unfortunately, there were which meant Mipha would have to chant.

The situation with the Mott had been an exception. She trusted the people she was with, and she had no doubts that no one would believe the count after seeing the atrocities he had done. They had never raised the question why she was able to just freely communicate either. When she asked Louise about it, she theorized that Colbert and the others probably thought that the trident was a magical item that helped Mipha manipulate the water. _While it had been a helpful misunderstanding then, it wouldn't be helpful now._ Mipha forced her embarrassment away of needing to chant. Louise _needed_ her right now, and every second counted. _However, how am I going to get up there faster than the stairs?_

The answer came to her in the form of a certain _foul_ monster.

With her hand still on her chest, she made a show of waving her trident around randomly. "Oh water, I pray thee to fall upon my control. Create platforms that shall bring me to where I'm in need- **[Ice Boxes]!** " Even though she had chanted, nothing happened. Her face lit up in embarrassment. _Well, of course nothing happened, I was just saying words. Uwaaah, this was too embarrassing after all!_ She ranted in her mind as she'd quickly pulled water from the moisture of the air and made a small platform before her. The water solidified into ice the moment she jumped into it. She nodded her head in satisfaction before she jumped with the most force, she could possible do. As she'd sailed in the air, she squeezed out another water platform to jump on. She repeated her actions until she was mere feet away. However, her eyes saw that the window was still closed. Mipha clicked her tongue in frustration.

 _No choice then!_

Since the people below her wouldn't be able to hear her chant, she hadn't bothered chanting this time. She stretched her trident forward, and quickly covered her body with a water bubble. She made sure to create a gap between her and the water bubble though. She wasn't a Zora anymore, and she wasn't going to use this situation to just _test_ if she could still breathe in water or not. With one last jump on a recently made ice platform, she crashed into the window. She rolled upon landing while letting the water collapse on the ground with the glass shards. Her runes felt hotter and as she'd raised her head, her eyes widened in shock.

The sight before her was horrible. Guiche was laid down on the ground, battered and beaten with Kirche and Montmorency collapsed on the floor some feet away from him. Books were sprawled all over the floor. There were two empty shelves collapsed on the side. _Dear Nayru, what in the world happened here?_ The library itself looked like it had gone through hell as there were blast marks, missing floors, cracked walls, and an actual hole on the wall.

"Louise!" she cried frantically as she'd looked around the room to find the pinkette. She dashed madly from one corner to another until she finally found the pinkette. She was collapsed on the floor with visible marks on her sides. "Louise," Mipha cried out again as she'd moved closer to the pinkette and crouched beside her. She put her trident down on her side, and began to inspect her for injuries. The first thing she had done was check for Louise's breathing. The sheer relief she felt when she determined that the pinkette was still breathing almost made her collapse. She continued her inspection and saw the spot of red on her right arm. Her eyebrows furrowed in deep worry and eyes widened from horror. She felt tears form on the edges of her eyes as she'd gently placed her hand on top of the wound. Green aura exited her hand as she watched flesh reknit itself. It was unfortunate, but she couldn't do anything about the bloodstain on Louise's clothes.

 _Just, what happened here?_ Mipha thought as she'd slowly worked on Louise's wound. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl for her. While she could speed up the process of healing, she didn't wish so. That would only leave a scar on Louise's pure skin, and she didn't want that. The scars she couldn't heal on Link's body had been bad enough. After she had reknit the obvious wound, she gently covered her entire body to heal away the fatigue and other possible injuries that the pinkette sustained that needn't much attention like a laceration. She bit her lower lip as she'd felt anger take over her person.

 _Just who would do this to a group of children?_

She knew fully well of the Yiga Clan, and their dastardly deeds. How could she not when news made it that Zelda had been attacked in the desert? The clan had robbed from families, harmed members of the royal family, and attacked travelers. However, not even they had attacked children. Once a healthier glow was present on Louise's face, Mipha stopped healing the pinkette; simultaneously, the glowing of the runes, and the tug of her mind commanding her had stopped. It was just in time too, as she'd heard footsteps rushing towards her location. She wiped the unshed tears away, and quickly grabbed her trident. She turned around and prepared to fight, but her caution had _thankfully_ been for nothing. She didn't wish to fight when there were children around her that were incapacitated. The first person that came to her view had been Agnès. The Lynel girl had her sword out, and seemed prepared to fight as well. When she saw the sight, she had an expression of shock before anger entered her face.

"What happened here?" she whispered loudly enough for Mipha to tell, but not enough to forcibly wake up the unconscious students. The redhead was thankful for that. Mipha shook her head.

"I do not know. It was like this when I got here."

The captain of the Musketeer Knights only nodded her head in confirmation. She approached Guiche and carefully set him on his back. "This boy seemed to have fought the intruder with all his might. Though, seeing the place, it must be intruders. Hm. I approve," she nonchalantly said as she'd put Guiche on his back. Mipha didn't really know how to react to her words, and only nodded. Instead, she decided to walk over and check for Kirche and Montmorency's condition. "Are there others?"

Mipha answered after checking the two for injuries. Thankfully, they had only been put unconscious, but she healed their heads regardless. She wouldn't want to risk a form of skull fracture, or any form of concussion, and she had made sure to heal the students with her back facing Agnès. She gestured at where the pinkette was resting. "I have healed Louise from over there, but I didn't wish to risk moving her. It could disrupt her breathing."

Agnès nodded. "It seems that you know what you're doing. I suppose you haven't been lying when you answered that you had military training in the past." After she healed the two, she walked over to Guiche next. She saw the Lynel girl raise an eyebrow. "And it seems you're quite proficient with healing people."

Another step of footsteps caused both to tense, but let the tension go when they saw that it had only been Colbert. The professor's eyes widened when he saw what happened. More footsteps followed, and some of the teaching staff were in the room, while Mipha observed the others climb up further. Seeing that the students would be safe, and one of the professors had rushed over to heal Guiche, Mipha felt relief. However, in her relief, another problem came up. _My tummy hurts really bad after that_ , she moaned as she'd put a hand on her stomach. She had completely forgotten about her stomach as she'd been very focused to getting and healing Louise. She very discretely healed the area that hurt by placing her other arm above the hand with her trident still on her grip.

"Agnès, what happened here?" Colbert asked the Lynel as he'd approached the students himself.

"Two or four have attacked these students. The mud piles over there tells me that those two ladies had been knocked out before their scuffle started. That boy seemed to have been defending them, and that girl from all the way there tells me that she had been fighting them as well. The blast marks near her area, and the amount of mud and stone projectiles on the walls tells me that she had ran around while fighting. For a student mage, that's surprisingly competent of her," the musketeer captain gave out her remarks. She had been completely frank with her words, something that Mipha approved of. Colbert's eyes widened, before he turned around.

"The Vault! Check the Vault!" he yelled frantically. The other teachers who stood by the doorway immediately turned around, but were stopped as the Headmaster stepped into the library. His expression had been grave, and the anger in his eyes caused the hairs of Mipha's body to stand up.

"It's too late. The Vault has been forced open," he said in the gravest voice Mipha ever heard. He stared at Colbert, then to Agnès. "The Staff of Destruction has been stolen, and there were no signs of the thieves, nor who they were. We've been completely defeated." From just his words and knowing what object that had been stolen, Mipha just knew. Something was brewing on the horizon. Simple thieves wouldn't have been able to do this perfectly without prior preparation, or planning. Even the Yiga Clan hadn't been able to sneak into any of the domains if not for prior preparations to invade. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she'd stared out of the window. The sun had been blotted out by the clouds, and the mid-day sky seemed darker than usual.

Their peaceful days were over.

* * *

 **And, that's a wrap! Let us know what you think with the reviews.**

 **Also, we've been thinking about other xover stories that we'd like to write/read, but haven't found yet. However, we'd like to focus on one project at a time. Let us know if any of you fellow writers would like to take up on the ideas! If you wish to discuss the plot with us as well and be _completely open to spoilers for this story_ then feel free to send us a message. See you guys next time!**


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